A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu
by Alpha Leonis
Summary: In his quest to defeat the lion king, Simba's great-grandfather must follow the pawprints of his adversaries, who zealously seek to find the hidden tombs of the kings of the past. Updates every Saturday.
1. Reborn

A/N: There used to be a long note here, but I have since removed it. Enjoy the read. :)

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 1: Reborn**

Life in the Pridelands: the many herds galloping across the golden savannah, the tranquilizing blue sky reflecting across the glassy surface of the waterhole, and the regal, yet oddly shaped Pride Rock protruding from the grassland. It was an amazing, carefree experience for any young lion cub.

But it was gone.

In the jungle, the waterhole reflected only the enormous trees on the other side. The shadows of vegetation were scattered about everywhere, which proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Hunting was impossible. There were no herds, and any prey that wandered into the jungle's catacombs could evade and hide in a matter of seconds.

It was no place to find a lion, but, oddly enough, that's what made it a haven for Mari's pride.

The dejected lioness saw her scruffy head as a reflection in the lake, while she leaned over for a drink. In the midst of the afternoon, she stood out blatantly, especially with her golden-orange fur.

Clearly, the stress from her new lifestyle was taking a tremendous toll. She looked as if she had aged several years, in a time span of only a few months.

In a way, she had indeed matured greatly since her lackadaisical cubhood in the Pridelands. In the wake of the king's conquest, she was almost forced to become a lioness. Even though she was still rather young, she had to make a choice. It was her decision to run away, and her decision to resist the oppressive kingdom.

Obviously, becoming a queen wasn't necessarily her priority.

Although it had been months since the remains of her pride left their home, she was not getting any more comfortable. The water she lapped up left a strange, bitter taste on her tongue. It was terrible. In addition, the air was humid, which made her fur feel sticky and nasty as well.

Mari could hardly sleep since she left the Pridelands. The noises at night were different and unfamiliar, and she could not shake the fear of being killed by the new king. The pain of being betrayed by her best friend had its own effects as well, but that was another matter entirely.

Things would never be the same again, and she knew it.

The lioness sighed deeply, as soon as she finished drinking. This was her new life. If her pride returned home, they would be killed. There was simply no other option—save betraying her family.

Mari quickly pushed that idea out of her mind.

She lifted her head back up, and gazed across the horizon. At the other side of the lake, another lion was clearly visible. He had been resting for nearly a week, with only a few minor interruptions since the lioness rescued him.

Mari saw him in battle before he nearly died; he was an unparalleled warrior. His strength even rivaled that of the ominous king himself. His speed and agility in personal combat were unmatched, as well. The lion's mere presence was enough to instill fear through the spines of his opponents.

Only one thought occupied Mari's mind. If the lion could recover from his injuries, he could be the pride's savior. It was a thought that filled Mari's heart with fires of hope, even as farfetched as it seemed.

The lioness grinned, stepping away from the waterhole. Her eyes darted across the dry ground, until she found the cracked shell of an empty fruit below one of the nearby trees. Mari grabbed the shell with her teeth, and walked back over to the lake to fill it with water.

Carrying the bowl of water in her mouth, the lioness began walking to her future savior. As she approached the lion, a flock of small birds scattered from a tree above. They made exotic, high-pitched chirping noises, which seemed to bring Mohatu into a state of consciousness.

From what Mari had seen, it appeared to be the first time in days.

The brown lion groaned in agony. Mari could not deny that as horrible as her reflection looked from living in the jungle, Mohatu appeared even worse. As she approached, she noticed the lion almost appeared broken, barely holding on from the fringes of death. His beige coat of fur contained numerous scratches and bruises, in addition to a thin layer of dust and dirt. There was no questioning the fact that he needed a bath, at the very least.

Perhaps what he needed was a fresh start—a new life.

Mari set the bowl down beside the lion, and began to walk away quietly. It was not her intention to disturb him.

Yet, inevitably, Mohatu's rest was interrupted, leaving only a deep feeling of turmoil. Thoughts of pain, suffering, and death plagued the unfortunate lion's mind. He opened his senses to the world around him gradually.

As the world faded into view, he immediately noticed two blurred figures, which appeared to be lionesses. He blinked, and the blurred images became slightly clearer, merging into one distinct entity.

As the lion's mind awakened, he continued to scan his surroundings, noticing the shadow of a thriving jackalberry tree shielding him from the sun's intense afternoon rays, not far from the lake nearby. His breathing and heart rate slowed, as his fears withered away.

There was no real conflict; there was only peace. He could not question the fact that he must have experienced one hell of a dream.

The comforting voice of the golden lioness in view greeted him. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to wake you, Mohatu. Are you feeling better now?"

"Ugh, I'm fine… I guess," he lied. The lion struggled to think of a correct answer. To be truthful, he only felt numb in his state of confusion, and he most certainly had no idea why this unfamiliar lioness was speaking to him. "Wh… who are you, and where am I?" He asked lethargically.

"Oh…" The lioness blushed, taken back by Mohatu's sudden inquiry. Perhaps he was more aware of his surroundings than she originally anticipated. She knew she would need to answer carefully to prevent confusion. "I'm Mari, and we're not far from the Zuberi River."

Mohatu's eyes widened slightly as his mind absorbed the information. The names sounded familiar, but from where, he could not quite recall. Heck, he could hardly remember what he was thinking two seconds ago. The lion stared directly into Mari's black eyes as he thought, before looking away out of embarrassment.

Mohatu shifted his gaze to the ground below, where he found the bowl Mari left. He leaned toward it to find it filled with water, though his neck screamed in pain. Eventually, he lapped up the water with his tongue, quickly drinking it all to relieve his thirst.

Meanwhile, the lioness attempted to read Mohatu's mind, so that she could prepare herself for any questions he would ask. "I'm sure this is all very confusing to you, but, don't worry, we're safe here. Busar has agreed to let you stay with us, as long as you need to," she assured.

"Okay... good." Mohatu muttered. He rushed through what he had been told in his mind as he erected himself on his paws. Although his muscles dreaded performing the simple task, he persisted.

He wasn't aware of what happened to him, but he knew one thing was certain: he clearly wasn't in the best of physical or mental condition. If he had to guess, he could have fallen down a cliff and been smacked by a crazy baboon with a stick. It seemed as plausible as any other scenario.

"It's kind of lonely out here," Mari said quietly. "Now that you're up, I guess I could take you to the pride?"

The lion thought for a moment, before responding. "Okay."

"Don't worry if everyone seems a bit strange," she warned. "We've all been through a lot, recently." However, to Mari, the future was finally starting to look a little less bleak. "Family troubles," she continued, looking behind her to see that Mohatu was still following.

"Why, what's going on?" Mohatu asked, clearly displaying a tone of concern in his voice.

Mari stopped in her path, and looked down to push a small rock out of the path and into the pond. "I'd... rather not talk about it, but I guess I don't have much of a choice," the lioness answered. She knew it would not be easy to explain, and it _was_ a long story, after all.

But, to be fair, if she could not explain the futility of her pride's situation, surely he would never be of assistance.

"Narisah and Busar's two sons, Leo and Rex, ran away years ago," the lioness explained. "We thought they were dead, but they returned just recently, and chased us off. Leo declared himself the 'king' of the Pridelands... whatever that means. We had no choice but to leave home. We would have been killed."

"I'm sorry," Mohatu responded sympathetically.

"There is some good news, though. Leo is dead," she added, unable to bear looking the lion in the eye as she spoke. "Rex took his place as king... but it is only a matter of time before his reign is at an end too."

"Oh," Mohatu replied, feeling his heart sink to the ground. "You did what you had to do, I guess."

"Yes, but it wasn't right," she argued. "I don't believe in killing. It's what separates _us_ from _them_." Secretly, Mari began to feel a splash of relief. Maybe her plan would work after all.

Her relief was quickly overcome with sadness. The lioness blinked before continuing, in an attempt to prevent her eyes from filling with water. "Besides… he was my best friend."

Mohatu wished to continue the discussion, but he wasn't quite sure what to say. The lioness was correct. He simply nodded in agreement.

The duo continued walking along the path in silence, with the exception of a few birds and the soothing flow of the Zuberi River nearby. Mohatu found the sensation of walking difficult with his lack of strength, yet still quite liberating.

Several boulders marked the path ahead, representing center of her pride's temporary home in the vast jungle. Vines hung from the trees above, and the area was mostly shaded, even in the late afternoon. It looked as if one lion had attempted to create a makeshift hammock of some sort, though Mohatu only saw the group of lions sitting in a circle on the ground.

"Mari, Mohatu, it's good to see you two," an old lion greeted. "Please, sit down. We would like to speak with you."

Mohatu did as he was told, not necessarily out of obedience, but mostly out of exhaustion. He bowed before the pride, and sat down beside Mari.

The oldest male lion watched Mohatu closely, waiting for him to get comfortable. "Allow me to introduce myself," the lion began.

He shared an appearance similar to Mohatu, but slightly lighter in color, and possessed a noticeably thinner mane. "I'm Busar," he said, pointing his paw towards his chest.

He then gestured towards the lioness to his left. "This is my mate, Narisah."

"Good day, Mohatu," the lioness beamed shortly after.

"That's Mari, as I'm sure you already know," Busar continued, "and the other two are Karttiki and Irena. Karttiki is Mari's mother, and Irena is the mother of a cub named Uru. We are all that remains of our pride."

"Hello," Mohatu mumbled, as the other two lionesses greeted him. With his muscles burning and an excruciating headache from hell, he was hardly in the mood for introductions.

"We have already discussed this, and we think it would be best if you stay here, with us," Narisah announced.

Mohatu looked at the lion with an expression confusion. This wasn't making any sense. He was injured and weak, and he was well aware of that fact. He would be of greater assistance to the pride if they killed him and ate him for lunch. "You _want _me to stay?" he asked.

"It's up to you, of course. But the truth is, we need all the help we can get," Busar explained.

"I'm sure you already know," Karttiki spoke up, "about the situation with Rex."

"Normally, we would be reluctant to let an outsider join our pride, especially at your age, but these are unusual circumstances," Irena added.

"I'll... think about it," Mohatu replied. "But there's not much I can do now," he admitted, remembering how difficult it was to find the strength to walk.

"When you're better, of course," Mari confirmed. "It should only be a few weeks."

Mohatu responded politely, speaking his mind. "I appreciate the offer, but I just... I don't know. I don't belong here." After Mohatu's final words to the group of lions, he strained his legs to lift his body off the moist jungle soil. "I need to get back to my own pride."

As their guest slowly walked away, Mari spoke to her family in private. "Just let me talk to him some more. I think I can persuade him," she smiled.

"Hah. He has no idea," Busar whispered. The tone of his voice dropped unusually low.

* * *

The lioness scanned across the horizon, looking for any signs of where Mohatu had run off to. Eventually, she spotted him leaning over a shaded rock in the distance, and ran there as well.

A short distance away, Mohatu lifted his front paws atop a bolder and looked over, deep in thought. Below, what he presumed to be the Zuberi River flowed down through the valley.

At some points, the water seemed to run violently around rocks scattered in the gorge, creating frothy patterns of bubbles. Farther down the stream, the water maintained a much greater degree of transparency, exposing the algae-covered rocks below the surface.

Hundreds, if not thousands of trees with various shades of green littered the valley's edges. For a pride that seemed to be struggling for survival, the lush scenery most certainly did not reflect that status.

The sound of another lion approaching shattered his concentration. "Hey, Mohatu," Mari called softly.

Mohatu refused to turn around in annoyance. "What do you want?" he asked. Though he did not realize it, the tone of his voice was quite bitter.

"I just wanted to explain..."

Mohatu shifted his posture slightly, turning to face the lioness. "Go on."

"You hit your head a few days ago," she clarified.

Mohatu raised a brow. "Thanks for telling me," he replied sarcastically. "I don't remember a single thing before this morning."

Mari chuckled lightly, allowing herself to relax, despite the lion's attitude. "That's probably a good thing. The past few weeks have been... very brutal, to say the least."

"Tell me," Mohatu insisted.

Mari began to pace from side to side across the dirt path. "Leo and Rex... they didn't just take our territory. They created a superpride... an entire kingdom, as they called it. _Many_ prides have fallen to their conquest."

"But, you said Leo is dead, right?" The lion replied easily.

"King Rex is far more dangerous than Leo ever was," Mari cautioned. "He will stop at nothing to kill anyone who opposes him. That's why we're _hiding _out here. We can't hunt, we can't go anywhere. We can't do anything. The moment any of us cross that river is the moment we all die."

Mohatu returned the lioness's stern glance. "So, siding against him is suicide?" he asked. Despite having a tremendous headache, the lion managed to comprehend Mari's words.

Mari sighed, greatly resenting his question. "My mother once told me, that there comes a time in every lion's life when a very special opportunity arises. A chance to do something extraordinary... something unique, and something perfectly fitted to his talents. A chance to leave behind a legacy."

"So?" the lion expressed his lack of understanding.

"Well… do you believe in free will?" Mari asked. "Do you believe it's worth fighting for?"

'I… ugh…" Mohatu struggled to think of a response.

"Look," Mari sighed. "It all comes down to this: I think I know how to overthrow Rex. But I'll need your help to pull it off."

The lion shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure Rex needs to be stopped; I don't doubt that. But I'm not the lion to do it. I need to get back to my own pride. There's nothing here for me."

"Your family is dead," she stated bluntly. "Their blood is on the king's paws. I'm sorry."

Her words hit Mohatu like a splash of cold water. He lowered his head in shame as Mari sat in silence.

All things considered, the lioness was probably right. If he almost died, chances are, his family shared a less fortunate fate. "I... I wish I could remember," the lion muttered.

She walked closer to the lion, who, to her surprise, accepted her company. "We need to stick together, or our fate will be the same as theirs."

Clearly, Mari wanted Mohatu to stay. Yet, he still failed to understand why. "But, why me? I'm nobody special," he confessed, looking back up at the lioness approaching him.

The lioness shook her head, before smiling. "Yes, you are."

A strange, warm feeling developed in Mohatu's melting gut, as he found himself returning Mari's grin. Mohatu continued to stare into Mari's reflective black eyes, allowing her words to sink in.

If that's how Mari felt about him, surely it was worth sticking around for, if nothing else.

"I'll let you think about it," she said, unknowingly bringing the lion back to reality.

Mari stood up slowly, exposing a scratch across the left side of her back. It appeared to be a sort of battle scar. The dark red line was highly visible against her golden-orange fur, which blended well with the similarly colored sunset.

Mohatu considered asking her about the scar, but decided against it. Even though he had only been around Mari for less than an afternoon, he could already notice that the lioness wasn't very comfortable discussing her past.

"Wait, don't leave yet," Mohatu replied, trying to think of something else to say.

Mari paused momentarily, allowing the lion to speak. "What is it?"

Mohatu raised his paw slightly, pointing to the surreal, orange sky above. "Look."

Mari turned to face the sunset above the jungle mountains. She did not initially realize what the lion wanted her to see until several moments passed.

The sunset added a hint of sorrow to her thoughts, as the sight only triggered more memories of her past. "You should see the sunset at Pride Rock," she replied sadly. "This is nothing."

"We still have a little bit of daylight left," Mohatu said. "Do you want to go for a walk, or something?"

"I don't think we have time," the lioness replied, continuing to walk away. "We still haven't eaten yet, you know." She spotted a rotting log in the distance, under the jungle canopy, and began walking towards it. "Follow me."

"Oh, yeah!" Mohatu remembered. "You said you can't hunt out here, so what are we supposed to eat?"

"Bugs."

Mohatu's tongue extended beyond his mouth, as he quivered in disgust. "You can't be serious!"

Mari pushed on the hollow log with her front paws, forcing it to roll down a small hill. It fractured into several pieces, as it rolled into a much healthier tree. "Yes, I'm serious," she laughed, leaning down to eat any insects she could find. "This is what we have to do out here."

The lion picked a yellow grub up with his paw and brought it to his nose so he could smell it. Not surprisingly, he could barely hold it between his paws without it slipping away. He squished the insect slightly, and examined in even greater disgust as a stream of liquid oozed out.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, before gulping it down as fast as he could. Its texture was slimy, and its taste was not too satisfying.

"It's about survival," Mari explained. "I'd much rather eat a wildebeest too, but we can't disturb the herds. It would attract attention from the kingdom."

"Ugh... yeah, I'm not hungry anymore," Mohatu chortled after gagging himself. "I'm going back to the pride."

"Goodnight," he whispered to Mari before heading back up the jagged, overgrown path. Many of the adjacent trees were hanging in his way, and as a result of the sun's increasingly dim light, he could hardly navigate back using his blurred vision alone. The tired lion relied primarily on instinct to find his way back up the valley.

By the time he made it to the secluded hideout, where the other lions gathered, his paws throbbed with an aching pain worse than he could have imagined. A voice called his name, though it wasn't what he expected. "Mohatu!"

It was neither the voice of Busar, nor one of the pride's loyal lionesses, but much higher in pitch.

He turned his head to meet the creature. He found what looked to be a babassu palm tree, but nothing else.

Suddenly, he felt something soft rubbing against his right front paw. He looked down to find a figure reminiscent of a fearful young cub. "Are... are you going to fight the lion king for us?" she asked.

Mohatu pushed a pile of leaves away with his other paw and allowed himself to fall down on his side. He then stretched his limbs out as he yawned.

"Yeah. I guess I will."

* * *

A/N: And that's it for the first chapter. I know there's already a character named Leo established in the TLK universe, but this guy is not in any way related.

I am also aware that Mohatu already has a semi-canon story which establishes his existence. Unfortunately, I have not read it, so this story may or may not end up conflicting with that.

In fact, this story is probably going to break a lot of what is already established in semi-canon. However, I am trying to stay as close as I can to what is already established in the first two Lion King films. This will probably break semi-canon, but not canon, and certainly not anything shot out of a cannon.

Please tell me what you think! Reviews are always welcome.


	2. The Scar

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 2: The Scar**

A thick, dark layer of clouds and fog shielded the Pridelands from view. Occasionally, lightning struck, illuminating the ominous night sky above. Even from the promontory of Pride Rock, the massive downpour of rain completely blocked visibility across the horizon.

Two lions stood on the enormous rock, glancing over their kingdom in the storm. One shook the mist out of his mane, while the larger of the two lions glanced directly below, noticing a wet cheetah running towards Pride Rock.

"What are you doing here, Duma?" The king demanded. "It's just a storm."

The cheetah climbed up to Pride Rock as fast as he could. "I... I saw... the traitors, your highness," he replied, between his deep gasps for air. "They're here. In the Pridelands. Busar is with them."

The king shifted his attention towards his brother. "Rex, gather the knights above Pride Rock. We will make our stand here. Just as we planned."

"Yes..." Rex grinned deviously. He turned around and walked to the other side of the enormous rock with haste. "Soon, there will be no one left to oppose us!"

Leo's dark brown mane blew magnificently in the violent winds. As confident as he was, he felt something was not right as soon as his brother left. "Are you sure?" the king asked Duma. "I'm surprised he actually has the guts…"

Immediately, Busar swatted the cheetah away, causing the smaller cat to fall down temporarily.

Duma quickly regained his balance on his paws. He backed away from the lions with his fur standing straight up like spines.

The cheetah exposed his clenched teeth for a moment, before running away as Busar focused on his son.

Two lionesses stood beside him on each side, after following Busar up Pride Rock. Mari and Kartitiki guarded his right, while Narisah and Irena covered his left.

It was five versus one.

"I would rather not fight," Busar stated. "But your actions have forced me to do this."

Narisah nodded in agreement, while a harsh rain began pouring down on the lions. "You have brought order to the Pridelands... but at what cost? Uhai is dead. Akila is dead. Iltani, Korrawi, Isis, Vasari... they're all dead. Half our pride is gone, just because of _you_!"

"Their deaths were necessary," Leo spat, glancing behind his shoulder. "Those who are worthy of ruling a kingdom serve _me_. Only the strongest can survive. This is the way it must be."

He hoped to see his knights behind him, ready for battle. Instead, he found no one. A deafening silence filled the moist air around him.

His brother was not in position above Pride Rock as he promised. The lion clenched his teeth together with incredible force as he came to realize what this meant. Rex had betrayed him. He was left to fight alone.

But he would _still_ take all the glory. His anger would fuel his strength in battle.

"This is your last chance, Leo," Busar taunted. "Stand down, or I will be forced to kill you."

Leo moved into his fighting stance, lowering his center of gravity closer to the ground. "You will not stop me!" Leo warned. "I am the king!" He watched each of the lions carefully, waiting for the perfect moment to make his first strike.

Busar inched towards his son at a snail's pace. In a split second, he turned to his right and winked at Mari. She knew what to do.

Leo had no space to move, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. His only choice was to attack first, and expose himself to the other four lions.

"It's over, Leo!" Mari taunted, moving confidently into position atop a boulder as lightning struck behind her. "This ends here. Now."

In a desperate move, the lion leaped straight forward, directly for Mari's head. The gusty winds and dim moonlight made observing him rather difficult, except during the frequent moments when lightning struck in the distance.

Mari ducked under the pouncing lion, and waited for him to land behind her.

Though Leo managed to sink one of his paws into Mari's back, causing the lioness to scream in pain, he gained too much momentum to hold on. The once arrogant and bodacious lion feared for his life as he slid off the wet rock below him.

Mari remained standing on the boulder, as the rain poured down on her wounded spine.

Leo began accelerating downward at a rapid pace, falling directly in the path of several rocks below. As he hit the first boulder, his body warped and twisted around it, before sliding off into an adjacent rock.

At last, he rested motionless, covered in an ever-expanding pool of blood. Though a dense fog hindered the pride's vision, it was quite clear that the king had fallen.

Mari jumped down and stepped over to the king's carcass. Seconds later, she and the other lions surrounded his dying body.

_Checkmate_.

* * *

"Hey, wake up, sleepyhead!" Mari teased.

Mohatu opened his eyes, immediately noticing the long scar across Mari's back before anything else. He stepped back, unsure of what was actually happening. "Whoa!"

Mari lifted her forepaws up before backing away. Mohatu's reaction sent a wave of confusion through her blood. "What is it?" she inquired.

"It's just… you were… fighting Leo… and there's that scar…" the lion muttered. He took a few seconds to regain his breath, so that he could try to explain. "It was a dream, I think. I'm not sure."

Mari allowed herself to relax slightly. "It's probably just a dream. Nothing important, nothing to worry about." The tranquility in her voice seemed to put the lion at ease.

Mohatu looked around, just as he had done the day before. The wind blew gently against the many trees, and the sun was quite high above the horizon. Small, wispy clouds were scattered about the sky.

Overall, it was a very peaceful day in the jungles of Africa. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Mohatu replied.

In almost complete silence, Busar walked up beside the two lions. His weight must have been light on his paws. "Mari, can I speak to you for a second?"

"Uh, sure," she accepted.

Mohatu attempted to follow the elder lion, but decided against it as Busar shot him a stern gaze. Instead, he began walking in the opposite direction.

To his relief, the lion found that a good portion of his energy had been restored. As he walked, he did not feel the aching of his joints; he could move with ease.

A surge of excitement flowed through his body. With each passing second, he could feel the power building up in his chest. The urge to sprint through the jungle became increasingly stronger. He looked around, to assure himself no one was watching.

He spotted a lioness, probably a few years older than Mari, lying on a rock in the sun. She had an unusually dark coat of fur, with more of a brownish hue than orange or gold. Mohatu struggled to remember her name. He questioned whether he was even paying attention at the time.

He noticed that beside her, a disappointed cub sat with a similar, yet even darker appearance, presumably the same one he encountered the previous night.

Not too surprisingly, upon sighting the lion, the cub perked up almost instantly. "Hey, Mohatu! Where are you going? I want to come too! Can you take me somewhere? Please? Can you?"

"Whoa, slow down there," Mohatu laughed. "I'm just going for a walk, that's all."

Immediately, the cub begged her mother for permission to follow him. "Mom, can I go with Mohatu? Please, please, please, mom? Can I?"

"It's fine with me," he said calmly. After all, perhaps spending time with the young lioness would allow him to take his mind off the more important matters that Mari had lectured at him.

The cub's mother, Irena, nodded, and her daughter began to leap around in joy. "So where are we going?" she asked ecstatically.

"The river."

"Aw, that's boring," the cub scowled, quickly changing her mind. Her tail began to move rapidly from side to side.

"You wanted to come," Mohatu retorted smugly, which convinced her to keep quiet for a few seconds.

After a few moments of silence, Mohatu decided to speak again. "So, I don't believe you've told me what your name is," he asked, attempting to change the subject.

"I'm Uru."

Mohatu stopped walking and looked at the cub. "Hey Uru," he proposed, "that's the river down there, on the far side of this pass. Want to race?"

"Okay!" she yelled, taking off from Mohatu before he could even blink.

Mohatu shifted the majority of his weight to his back legs, so that he could quickly leap forward. His eyes were busy, observing the path carefully for any signs of obstructions. In only a split second, he dashed forward, propelling himself downhill with alarming speed, leaving nothing behind with the exception of a cloud of dust.

His paws rarely touched the ground, almost as if the lion was gliding downhill. He felt the liberating sensation of wind pushing against his mane, which only convinced him to push for an even faster pace. After only a few seconds, Uru was quickly left in his trailing cone of dust.

Suddenly, he felt euphoric. With the reflective surface of the water quickly approaching, Mohatu did not want to slow down, even if he had that luxury.

As he approached the river, his paws began to sink into mud. Instead of slowing down, he only kicked up large clumps of muck behind him.

Splash!

Unable to stop, he continued to plunge directly into the frigid water, creating an expanding wake several times his size. Within seconds, he was completely submerged, a respectable distance away from the shore.

Mohatu stuck his head out of the refreshing, yet icy water to breathe, only to find Uru staring at him. "I... ugh... just wanted to go for a swim. That's all."

"I'm coming with you," Uru yelled, jumping into the river.

"Uru! No!"

The cub's playful attitude faded away as she realized what she had done. She suddenly found herself unable to breathe, see, and, perhaps even more importantly, swim.

The powerful current of the river swept the cub far away in the short amount of time that Mohatu was able to regain his breath and vision. He managed to spot Uru's hind legs and tail sticking up out of the water as she tumbled around below the surface.

Mohatu swam after the escaping cub, with adrenaline pumping rapidly through his veins. His muscles worked together in perfect synchronization, propelling the lion downstream nearly as fast as he ran into the water.

Uru wasn't his daughter, but that seemed almost irrelevant to him in such a state of excitement.

Mohatu grabbed the frantic cub in his mouth with an unexpected elegance, never slowing down or losing focus. He began swimming perpendicular to the current, until the two were safe at the river's edge.

He let go of the cub after he climbed up a rock far above the water level. "Don't do that again," he cautioned, breathing heavily, while Uru coughed up water.

"You... you saved me," she said with admiration, continuing to gasp for air.

The lion shook the icy liquid out of his fur, causing everything nearby to get soaked as well. "Yes, but I also got you _into_ this mess. It would be best if we can just forget it."

"Forget what?" Uru's mother responded, seemingly having appeared from nowhere. Oddly enough, it was the second time someone had done that in a single day. "I saw what you did there," she continued, causing Mohatu's face to turn red under his fur with embarrassment.

"We need more lions like you," the lioness smiled. "Welcome to the pride."

"But I…" Mohatu mumbled in bewilderment. His eyes shot open at once. "What?"

To the lion's surprise, Irena seemed more disappointed with her daughter than with Mohatu. "Uru, I told you not to try to swim in the river," she retorted with a stern expression.

"But…" Uru whined, continuing to violently hack up water.

"It's too dangerous," Irena replied. "That current is too strong, even for me!"

"Yeah... I'm just glad I could help," Mohatu stated, trying to change the subject.

At the same time, the lion glanced around for a ray of sunshine to warm himself up. "Ugh… I need to go dry off," he added quietly.

Uru and her mother seemed to pay little attention to Mohatu as he began to walk away.

* * *

Deeper into the heart of the jungle, Mari and her mentor discussed the future of their pride in private.

"How's the situation with Mohatu going?" the older lion inquired casually.

"He seems pretty confused... actually," Mari answered. "I'm beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea," she admitted, hoping that he would understand.

"What do you mean?" Busar asked, stepping onto a fallen log.

"I... I don't know," she pleaded. "It just… I may have went too far. I think I put too much pressure on him last night."

Busar began to walk to the other side of the rotting log, which served as a bridge across a small valley below. "Well, I think we have a bigger problem than that," Busar insisted.

Mari cocked her head to the side, following behind the lion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid the death of Leo is making us look bad," the old lion speculated. "I know Rex is going to use this against us."

Mari groaned. "Only an _idiot_ would think we're the murderers here…"

"I know, I know," Busar sighed heavily while rolling his eyes. "I was just thinking. That's the kind of luck we have, you know."

"I mean, that would make no sense at all!" the lioness began ranting. "They manage to kill every lion _but_ us, then blame us for fighting back? As if we haven't shown them mercy? What a load of crap!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Busar retorted. "We need a hero, and we need him now, before things get even worse. They have a martyr now."

"Yeah," Mari agreed sadly.

"We need to get Mohatu to fight for us. Not just for our own sake, but for the kingdom as a whole..."

"I know," the lioness stated. "But..."

She looked down to find the thick jungle canopy a long way below her as she crossed the chasm. "We're manipulating him. He's going to be our puppet. Eventually, he's going to find out... and then what?" the lioness gulped.

The least she wanted was to be betrayed _again_.

Busar pondered Mari's words before stepping back onto the ground at the other side of the valley. "But _are_ we manipulating him?" he asked.

Mari continued to follow the lion. "Yeah, I think so," she exclaimed. "Even if it is for the greater good."

Busar paused and stared at Mari for a second before speaking softly. "I know I ask a lot of you, and there is a reason for it."

Mari nodded anxiously. "Uh-huh…"

"I've given you many tasks, and every time, you have exceeded my expectations. You continuously put the needs of our pride above your own. You're a great lioness, and I'm honored to stand beside you."

"I try my best," Mari added.

"But, this time... there is something _else_ I must ask of you."

"What's that?" she asked. In all honesty, she had not even the slightest idea what he was going to say.

"You need to stop that," Busar stated.

Mari twitched her tail and tilted her ears forward. "Huh?"

"Think about what's best for _you_, Mari. Not _us_."

"But didn't you just say we need him?" the young lioness asked.

A sigh escaped Busar's muzzle. "Forget what I just said. I need you to put our needs aside for a little while. That's more important right now."

"I don't think that's-" Mari retorted quickly before being interrupted.

"Excuse me," Busar muttered. He struck his chest with his paw as he let out a nasty cough.

The lion then lowered his head to the ground and repeatedly coughed even louder.

Moments later, Busar spat out a wad of fur covered in saliva. He slapped it away into a tree with his paw. "Sorry," he muttered. "I've had that furball stuck in my throat all day."

Mari rolled her eyes impatiently.

"But anyway," Busar paused for a minute as he tried to think of a way to explain himself. "What do think you'll be like in five years from now?" the wise lion asked.

"I... I don't know," Mari stuttered. "I'm hardly even four years old right now."

"Well then, what do you want in life? Don't think about us."

"Really, I don't know," the lioness replied thoughtfully. "I just want things to go back to the way they were... before we had to worry about any of this stuff."

"I see," Busar nodded. "I want you to think about it some more," the lion suggested.

"But-" Mari retorted in a state of disbelief.

"Don't worry about us," Busar reassured. "I think you just need some time with Mohatu," he continued. "I know it's hard for you to trust anyone after what happened, but you're going to have to get to know him. Put our struggles aside for a while."

"I guess I could try," Mari responded with hesitation.

The lioness turned away awkwardly, looking down to the jungle valley below, deep in thought. "You're right," she mumbled. Ironically, as Mari looked away, she found Mohatu walking up the path to the plateau on which she stood.

Busar spotted the lion as well. "Go on," he told Mari. "I'll leave you two alone."

The lioness began walking down the path, towards Mohatu. She decided this was the time to make things right.

Immediately, she noticed the lion appeared wet. Without a doubt, he must have been completely submerged in water.

"What happened to you?" Mari inquired, but tried not to get too distracted from what she was originally going to say.

The lion began to blush. "I... ugh... just went for a swim. That's all."

"Well," Mari began, "I wanted to talk to you..."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go somewhere warm first," Mohatu retorted. Not too surprisingly, the lion was still shivering as the wind blew against his cold, wet fur.

"I know where we can go," the lioness replied, gesturing toward a path which led farther up a mountain. "There's plenty of sunlight up there, especially this time of day."

Mohatu did not speak a single word as he followed Mari up the narrow path to the peak. It served as an excellent lookout point, with no trees or rocks to obscure a line of sight to the surrounding jungle below.

The lion reclined on his back and stretched his paws out happily, in full view of the sun. "Oh, yeah... this is comfortable," he smiled.

Mari began to relax on the grass as well. "That it is," she agreed. "But, as I was going to say..."

The lioness paused, and turned her head to the clouds above for a second, before shifting her gaze back to Mohatu. "I hope I wasn't being too pushy last night... y'know..."

"Don't worry about it," Mohatu assured. "I would have done the same."

"You..." Mari twitched her eye. "What?"

"Actually," the lion continued, "I thought about what you said last night... and I kinda want to know more."

"Huh?" Mari asked. It was totally not what she expected the lion to say.

"How did my family die?" Mohatu inquired without emotion in his voice. He watched as a flock of colorful birds circled around far above him.

Mari stretched out her paws nervously before scratching the back of her neck. "Are... you sure you want to talk about that?"

"Yeah."

The lioness sighed, and looked back up at the puffy clouds above. "They were hunted down and killed by the king... king Leo."

"But why?" Mohatu asked.

"I wish I could tell you," Mari replied sadly. "I have no idea. Any lion who did not swear allegiance to the king was murdered on sight. I guess it was the only way he could secure his position within his new kingdom. It's like he thought himself a prophet, or something..."

"Oh," Mohatu sighed, but otherwise remained silent.

"...and I'm not entirely sure he _wasn't_ a prophet of some sort," Mari continued. Her voice almost seemed to reflect a feeling of awe, albeit only vaguely.

"But, Since Leo's death," the lioness added, "Rex has been following in his paw prints. Every day, things just seem to get worse and worse... I really wish I could take my mind off of it, but it's so hard. We're surrounded by a living hell right now."

"We'll make things right," Mohatu promised. Though, in his mind, he doubted his own abilities. Even if he was as capable of a warrior as Mari seemed to think, that would only make him a bigger target.

"I hope so," Mari sighed. "I sure hope so."

Mohatu rolled over onto his side. "There's something else I wanted to ask you," the lion announced. "How did you get that scar on your back?"

"Oh, _that_?" Mari asked. "It's nothing, really. When we fought Leo, he attacked me. Luckily, that's all he managed to do to me. I easily could have been mauled that night."

"Wow," Mohatu exclaimed. "You really..." he began, but paused. "I guess you're even braver than I thought," he said in admiration. "I'll be honored to fight beside you," Mohatu grinned back at the lioness.

Mari smiled. Perhaps she really didn't have anything to worry about. Mohatu almost seemed eager to prove himself. "Yeah, same to you," she agreed, gathering herself back on her paws. "Are you warm enough yet?"

"I guess," Mohatu replied.

"I've got something to show you," the lioness continued. "There's a cave nearby. I figured you might want to check it out. It looks pretty... _bizarre_, but it might be a nice place to sleep."

Mohatu stood up as well. "I suppose I could go take a look."

* * *

A/N: And that's it for chapter 2. This one is kinda slow as well, but things will start picking up soon.


	3. Something Fishy

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 3: Something Fishy**

"So, I take it you're feeling better than you were yesterday?" Mari asked her future savior as the two walked down from the mountaintop.

"Quite a bit," Mohatu answered, grinning slightly. "I can actually feel my paws now."

Despite Mohatu being a young lion, Mari could not help but notice that his wounds seemed to be healing unusually quickly. "I'm kinda surprised," she replied. "I thought it would take a little more than a day for you to go from completely unconscious to walking up and down a mountain on all four paws."

"I'm not totally better, of course," the lion responded. "But I felt good enough to go swimming."

"Hmm," Mari muttered. She glanced over at the mountainside temporarily, allowing her eyes to absorb the strange beauty of the three-dimensional landscape. "Well," she began, looking back at Mohatu. "How was it?"

"Cold!" Mohatu exclaimed, nearly shivering at the mere thought of jumping back into that water. "But other than that it was... okay, I guess."

"I've never actually gone swimming in the Zuberi river before," Mari continued. "Sure, I've crossed it a few times, but I've never gone there at my own leisure. Could be fun," she proposed.

"What _do_ you do for fun around here?" Mohatu asked.

Mari cynically answered the lion's question with a sarcastic, rhetorical question of her own. "What's fun?"

"No, seriously," Mohatu insisted.

"Look, today is the first day I've ever really..." Mari paused as she took a deep breath. "It's the first day I haven't had anything to do... in a long time." Although she was lying, there was a hint of truth in her words.

"What have you been doing?" the lion asked.

"Fighting, negotiating, planning... you get the idea. That's all I've done. Since I've lived out here, that is."

Mohatu ceased walking as he came to a fork in the path, which was now covered by the thick jungle canopy. "I could have guessed," he replied, waiting for Mari to lead the way. "So, where is this cave?"

"It's that way, not far from here," Mari answered, gesturing away from the river. "As I was saying... it has some strange markings on it, but it looks pretty cozy."

"What do you mean?" Mohatu asked, following closely behind.

"It's like... I don't know," she admitted. "It's not like anything I've seen anywhere else. It's just weird. You'll know it when you see it."

"What, that's all you're going to tell me? No hints?" Mohatu smirked.

"Well, to be honest, it kinda gave me the creeps when I first saw it," Mari replied. "It's nowhere near as creepy as an elephant graveyard, mind you, but still..."

"Interesting. Is that it, over there?" the lion asked, as his eyes met an unusually dark spot on the horizon.

"Yeah," Mari answered. She stepped off the path and began walking through the bushes scattered about the jungle floor. With each step, her paws made crunching noises from the decaying vegetation below. "C'mon," she nodded.

Mohatu kept his eyes glued to the ground, making sure not to step on anything sharp and pointy.

Not after long, the two were standing right before the mouth of the cave.

Mari stuck her head in first, then stepped inside. "This is it." She began looking around the walls of the enclosure, for the markings that she mentioned earlier.

"Hmm," Mohatu muttered. "It's not bad for a den, but where's the-"

"Found it!" The lioness interjected, holding her paw up against the wall. "It's over here." Her voice echoed off the moist walls of the enclosure.

Mohatu stepped closer. The portion of the wall was almost entirely flat, and even somewhat polished. It had nine markings on it, which were engraved deep into the surface of the rock.

"Looks like it was meant to say something, but I have no idea what," the lion replied.

"The only thing I can think of," Mari began, "is to look at it from afar." She took a few steps backward, so she could see all the marks at once. "What's it look like?"

"Hmm..." Mohatu tilted his head to the side. "It sorta looks like the night sky," he said. "Those markings are just randomly spaced around... like the stars."

"You know what I think?" Mari asked rhetorically. "I think it was a map of some sort. That would explain what the smaller markings are above each of them are for... it's like they're symbols, which identify places."

"A _map_?" Mohatu asked. "Well then, where are we on here?"

"I don't know," the lioness confessed. "It would make sense, but if we're here in the center, then, no... it can't be right. If it is a map, it must have been made long ago. None of the locations match up with anything I know of. It's possible the land has changed over time."

Mohatu chuckled slightly. "Could it be a star map?"

"Why would anyone make a map of the sky?" Mari asked.

"But why would anyone write on a rock in a cave?" Mohatu retorted.

"Well, I guess... I don't know." Mari replied. "I told you it was weird."

Mohatu continued to ponder his idea. "But, maybe the stars were used for navigation? Maybe... if we can decode the symbols, we can figure out where it's telling us to go."

"Believe me, I've tried," Mari insisted.

"It's just an idea," Mohatu added. The lion turned away from the marked wall, and proceeded to explore the rest of the cave. On the other side, he found another marking, but much less visible than the one across from it.

"What's this?" Mohatu asked.

Mari walked to the other side of the cave as well. When she found nothing, she squinted her eyes. "What's _what_?"

"You see that? It looks like the sun... but it has a spiral inside it."

"Yeah... I guess..." Mari answered softly. The mark was only faintly visible.

"I wonder if I could get a better look at it." The lion slid his paw across the symbol to wipe off a layer of dust. He noticed that the rock sounded hollow inside as he brushed his paw against it.

"Wait a minute," the lion grinned. He leaned against the wall, and sure enough, managed to push the chunk of rock deeper into the cave.

"You can _move_ that?" Mari exclaimed.

"Yeah," Mohatu replied. "It's not as heavy as it looks."

Mari followed Mohatu through a small passageway that the lion cleared out by pushing the rock. "Jeez! How far back can this go?"

Mohatu kept pushing until the hollow boulder hit the cave wall and jammed itself into place. "About this far," Mohatu answered.

"Look at this!" the lioness exclaimed. She looked down, staring into a path that Mohatu had opened. It appeared to lead directly into a chamber below the actual cave itself.

"You want to check it out?" Mohatu asked as he stepped beside the lioness.

"It's too dark," Mari reasoned. "Why would we go down there? We wouldn't be able to see anything."

"Fine then. I'll go by myself." Mohatu took a step forward, before stepping down the slope to the chamber below.

His paw slipped, and gravity pulled the brown lion all the way to the bottom in under a few seconds. A cloud of dust rose from the slide of gravel behind him.

"Mohatu!" Mari called. "Are you okay?"

"Relax," the lion insisted, picking up on her unusual jumpiness. A smile of confidence formed across his face. "I meant to do that."

The lioness turned away, flattening her ears and tail. "Just... be careful."

"It's fine," Mohatu retorted before continuing to follow the path beyond Mari's line of sight.

As the lion approached the chamber, he noticed a bit of light coming from the other end. "Hey, Mari," he called, "I can actually see down here, if you want to check it out. It's not as dark as I thought."

"Uh... alright," she gulped in hesitation. "I'm coming." She reached out with her paw, immediately regretting what she had said. After all, she had every reason not to want to go with the lion. Curiosity _kills_ cats.

As soon as she stepped down to the lower chamber, the air began to feel much cooler, and much drier as well. Below the surface of the Earth, the atmosphere felt strikingly different.

Meanwhile, Mohatu spotted a pool of molten rock illuminating the underground chamber. A significant amount of heat radiated from the magma as well, while thick bubbles of vaporized material rose to the surface.

The lion brought his nose closer to the glowing pool of molten orange goo. "Oooooh, there's lava!" Luckily, his nose was moist enough not to spontaneously combust from the scorching heat.

Mari thought to herself as she nervously inched towards Mohatu in the dim light. Did he say _lava_? What was this, Minecraft? The lioness felt her spine tingle with fear, curiosity, and excitement simultaneously.

On the other side of the chamber, Mohatu spotted an elegant box, carved from rock. He stepped closer, but took his time as he approached so that he could examine it from afar at first.

Engraved on the box was one of the symbols he had seen earlier: the Greek letter 'ε.' The spiral sun symbol appeared on the rectangular prism as well.

Mari approached nervously from behind. "Wow. I have to admit, I never would have thought-"

"Look," Mohatu interjected. "That symbol matches the one on the far right of the... map."

"Huh. You're right," she replied. In reality, she was mostly only amazed by Mohatu's near-photographic memory. How the heck could any lion remember that?

Mohatu placed his paw above the metal box. "I wonder what's inside," he thought aloud. "Should I?"

Mari nearly choked on her own saliva as she gulped again. "Eh, I guess..."

The lion attempted to gently push the lid of the box off, though it required all his strength to be able to move it.

Eventually, the heavy metal lid slid off with a loud grinding sound.

Mohatu jumped back at once, as a cloud of dust engulfed his face. "What is it?" Mari asked curiously.

"This is a... sarcophagus." Mohatu whispered in amazement. "Some lion _died_ in here!"

He brought his paw up to cover his nose. The terrible stench of decay that had been trapped within was released, and nearly knocked him unconscious.

After he recovered from his immediate surge of nausea, the lion peeked inside once more, only to find the dried remains of another feline. "God, this thing must be like a thousand years old! There's nothing left but fossilized bone... and..."

He pulled out a disc-shaped object made from rock. "...and this."

Mari walked even closer. "What is _that_?"

He held the banana-sized disc up in the air with his paw. On one side, it contained the symbol 'ε.' On the other, it contained an odd but precise structure, almost like it was designed to fit directly into something. "A key, perhaps."

"Wow," Mari exclaimed. "This is... this could be a huge discovery! I'm no history expert, but I think we should tell someone what we found."

Mohatu set the artifact down on the ground, which made a ringing metal noise that echoed across the walls. "Does this mean we won't do anything fun today?"

The lioness examined the disc closely. "Perhaps this is crazy and all... but this could be _exactly_ what we've been looking for!" After a few seconds, she picked it up in her mouth.

"What do you mean?" The lion asked.

"Lert's ger sermewer er bert mer enverterng," Mari suggested.

Mohatu perked his ears up. He looked at the lioness as if she had turned into a basket case.

Mari spat out the artifact so that she could speak clearly. "I said, let's go somewhere a bit more inviting. I'll explain everything later. But I think, now that we've found this, we may be able to decode the map… or at least find out what it _really_ is." After she finished talking, the lioness attempted to carry the artifact again.

The duo began walking back up to the other section of the cave, with Mari leading the way. "Irm rerry gering ter herve ter sher Berser thers, lerter," she repeated.

"I'm not sure what you said," Mohatu admitted, "but I was kinda looking forward to doing something _fun_," he insisted, following a long pause.

"Wer ster cern," Mari mumbled unintelligibly, before setting the ancient artifact down again.

This time, the object was lying outside of the cave where it could be seen in the near-overwhelming brightness of midday. It had a shiny, reflective surface, despite its obvious age.

"I just think this is a little bit more important," Mari continued, stepping outside the cave. Immediately, she noticed the sensation of a gentle wind blowing against her fur, and the intense heat radiating from the sun at noon.

"Okay, okay…" Mohatu replied dejectedly.

"But, once I tell him what we found, I'll let him decide what to do with it. We'll have the rest of the day off," she assured with a grin.

"Alright," Mohatu nodded. "I guess I'll wait here."

"I'll be back in a little bit," Mari added.

As she walked back, the lioness almost seemed to frolic through the bushes.

Although Mohatu only knew the lioness for little more than a day, he could not question that something had made her happy, simply by the way she held her tail up high. He knew he did something right—but he had no idea what it was.

He shifted his attention back to the ancient artifact.

"God, this thing is weird," Mohatu thought aloud, as he stared at the disc. The lion wiped off another layer of dust with his paw. At last, in the light of day, he could make out even more writing beneath the big 'ε.'

'Algenubi.'

But what did it mean? What was Algenubi? The lion's mind was filled with nothing other than questions.

Mohatu retraced his steps to clarify his thoughts.

There was a cave with a wall littered with symbols.

On the other side, there was a spiral sun, which marked a path leading to a chamber below.

Inside the chamber was a sarcophagus.

Inside the sarcophagus was a disc with a symbol matching one on the map, and the word Algenubi.

The lion scratched the back of his ear with his hind legs as he thought. Did the spiral sun represent death? It seemed like a good guess, but what about Algenubi?

Could it have been a warning?

Mohatu turned the disc over again. The other side was covered with pins and gears. "What the _heck_ is this!" He whispered to himself.

Whatever it was, it was part of a whole. It looked as if it could fit together with something else.

It said Algenubi.

Perhaps the disc _itself_ was Algenubi.

Mohatu wiped his forehead with his paw before stepping back into the cave.

"If this is part of the whole..." he whispered, "then these other symbols are the other parts. Maybe... the symbol identifies _which_ part it is."

His thoughts were getting him somewhere. But, one question continued to remain unanswered.

If Algenubi was part of something larger, then why did he find it in a sarcophagus?

Was Algenubi, instead, the name of the lion that rested in the cave?

"Gah," Mohatu scratched his head again. Nothing made any sense.

The lion turned away from the cave in frustration.

With the blue sky above him, Mohatu lounged with his back against a rock. He let out a deep sigh as he watched the clouds slowly move past the horizon.

He only hoped Mari knew more.

* * *

"Guys!" Mari called with excitement, as she trotted up the path to where the other lions were residing. "You're not going to believe this!"

Mari's mother stretched out her paws before falling face-first out of a hammock made of vines. "What's going on?" she asked in a state of bewilderment, as she sat upside-down with her hind legs still in the hammock.

The golden lioness took a second to catch her breath. "I was showing Mohatu the cave, and... that's _not_ a cave."

"What do you mean?" Busar asked, beginning to show a small level of interest.

"It's a tomb," Mari exclaimed. "Mohatu found it."

"Are you sure?" Karttiki asked.

"_Of course_ I'm sure!" the lioness replied impatiently. "You saw those symbols on that wall... but there's more to it than just that."

"Mhm..." Busar mumbled.

"Don't you know what this means?" Mari asked. "Lions once lived out here! And not just any lions, but-"

"Not so fast," Narisah interrupted. "We can't jump to conclusions so soon."

"But it makes _sense_!" Mari insisted. "Think about it."

"Mari... slow down," Busar replied calmly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Where do you think Leo got this idea of a kingdom from?" Mari asked. "He left for a year. We don't know where he went beyond the desert. All we have are questions about who he met, what he did, and what he found, before he returned to kill everyone."

"Let me get this straight," Karttiki interjected. "You think there's some... connection between this cave, and the kingdom?"

"YES!" the lioness exclaimed. "I have a feeling this tomb is just one of many, and if that's true..."

Busar nodded. "She has a point. I guess we should take a look."

"I'm not done yet!" Mari added. "If Leo found remnants of some other civilization, that would explain where he got all his crazy ideas from. That would also explain why he sought to conquer everything he saw. He was searching for these tombs."

"Let's take a look first," Narisah retorted. "We'll follow your lead."

* * *

Mohatu rolled over once he heard the sound of other lions approaching. He looked past the tall trees blowing gently in the wind to find Mari in the distance. Busar and two other lions were with her.

"Show us what you found," Narisah asked.

Mohatu set his paw on the disc, which remained on the ground by the cave entrance. "It's this thing. It was inside the sarcophagus."

The lion then stepped away, as the other four examined the artifact.

"Very interesting," Busar mumbled. "I've never seen anything quite like this before."

"Well… do you have any idea what it is?" Mari asked.

"No. I don't."

"Damn!" Mari exclaimed. "But, this was obviously made by someone. It had some purpose."

Busar flipped the disc over, revealing the intricate mechanical framework on the other side. "I have no idea who… or _what_… could have made this. The fact that this even _exists _is strange in itself."

"You mean..."

"Whatever this thing is, it wasn't made by lions," Busar continued.

"Don't tell me you think _humans_ did this," Karttiki retorted. "Humans are just a myth."

"Indeed," Busar replied. The volume of his voice was brought down to nearly a whisper. "But all myths have their origins in truth."

"Mohatu, can you show us the tomb?" Kartitiki asked. "This is something I need to see for myself."

Mohatu pointed towards the cave. "It's in there. You won't miss it."

"Should we take a torch?" Narisah asked.

"No, that's okay. There's lava."

Narisah gazed heavily at Mohatu with an expression of disbelief.

"He's not joking," Mari added.

With Mari's reassurance, the older lioness stepped into the cave with her nose leading the way. Busar and Karttiki followed behind, while Mari and Mohatu remained at the cave's entrance.

"That took a little bit longer than I expected," Mari apologized. "I didn't know I was going to have to convince them how important this is first."

"Yeah," Mohatu nodded. "I guess-"

"But maybe... they're right. Maybe I am going too far with this."

The lion began walking away from the cavern. "What is so important about it, though? You said you would tell me later."

Mari walked quickly to catch up to the lion. "It sounds kinda strange, but it's just a gut feeling, really. It seems like we've found something... a piece of something, that could lead to something else. That must be what that map is for. I have no doubt about it."

"Uh-huh..." Mohatu replied.

"The problem is, if the other pieces are scattered around, they're in Rex's territory. If this is one piece of nine, it's a safe bet he has the other eight."

"I'm not so sure," Mohatu replied, before fixing his eyes on the glassy surface of the river rapids on the horizon. "But I wouldn't know."

"You know, it just... it kinda makes me wonder. What if there was some civilization that existed before us? Would that change anything?"

Mohatu stepped onto a rock. "I don't know. But there's one thing I do know for sure."

"And that is?"

He pointed to a fast-moving body of water flowing through the rapids. "Slide rock."

Before the lioness could react, Mohatu leaped off the rock he stood on, running straight for the river.

Mari watched, scowling at first, but her attitude changed quickly. She allowed herself to cave in to the desires of the playful cub that hid within her heart.

The brown lion slipped around several other stones before jumping tail first into one of the roughest sections of the river. The lioness was crazy enough to follow him.

Mohatu then floated on his back, with his head safe above the surface. His hind legs led the way, as he quickly drifted downstream through a narrow channel. Though he didn't know it, Mari followed directly behind him.

By the time he reached the end of the rapids, Mohatu felt something kick him in the back of the head. He swam around to see what it was.

Mari smiled uncontrollably, as the two lions floated off to the side of the river, into a much calmer whirlpool. "I wasn't going to let _you_ have all the fun."

Mohatu forcefully stuck his paw out of the water, splashing frigid water across Mari's muzzle. "Sure you weren't!"

"Hey!" Mari smirked, before splashing water back at the lion. "No splashing!"

Mohatu kicked his hind legs to create an entire wall of water, which ended up engulfing them both. "No rules!"

"Well, now that we're all wet, wanna do it again?" Mari asked.

"Okay, but this time, you're going first."

Mari paddled out of the whirlpool and back into the current. She slid slowly across the smooth, rocky surface of the shallow riverbed.

Mohatu felt something slimy move past his paw. He looked past the surface of the water, where a small group of fish swam below.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

The lion climbed out of the water, onto a slippery rock. He remained there, waiting patiently for a fish to swim past.

It was not long, merely a matter of seconds, before a good-sized fish jumped out of the water beside him. With his cat-like reflexes, Mohatu grabbed the creature between his jaws.

Several scales peeled off, as his teeth gripped into its flesh. It had a strange taste to it, similar to rotten meat. However, it was still unquestionably a much tastier alternative than eating insects, despite its extraordinary sliminess.

He resisted the urge to try to bite harder into it, which would have swallowed the fish whole. Instead, he glanced behind to look for Mari.

The lioness was approaching. Not to his surprise, she was wondering why Mohatu didn't follow her down the river. "Where did you go?" she asked curiously.

Mohatu released his grip on the fish, allowing it to plop down on the wet stone below his paws. "I brought lunch."

Mari seemed baffled by the situation, as soon as she saw what fell from between Mohatu's teeth. "How did you..."

"It was nothing," Mohatu shrugged.

Meanwhile, the fish below him attempted to flop to freedom. It mindlessly kicked itself around on the rock with its powerful fins.

"Stop it!" the lion commanded. He placed his paw over the fish's tail so that it could not move.

"You want it?" he asked Mari.

"Sure, I guess," Mari answered. She leaned down and bit a chunk of meat off. The lioness chewed it for several seconds with an odd expression on her face.

"How is it?"

"It... ugh... tastes kinda fishy."

"You don't say," Mohatu replied as his stomach growled. He bit off a chunk of flesh as well, swallowing it as soon as he could. "You can have the rest, I'm going to go catch another one."

"Wait," Mari interjected. She suddenly found herself feeling slightly embarrassed.

It was an odd situation for any lioness to be in. Typically, she was the one to bring back meals. Never before had a male lion offered her food, and especially not during a time when food was scarce.

"I... just wanted to say thanks," the lioness whispered. "It's nice to eat some meat for a change... even if it is fishy."

Mohatu turned his gaze back around to meet Mari's eyes. "It's the least I could do," he replied humbly. The lion turned away, as he realized his heart was melting.

Even with his limited and biased sample of four females, Mohatu could not deny that she was the cutest lioness he had ever met.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so this is where one of the main plots of the story starts to come in.

I'm going to go ahead and get this out of the way before I forget: this story is purely fictional. I am not, in any way, imparting any sort of religious beliefs on anyone.

Also, I am not going to completely rewrite the 'religion' of the Lion King as it is expressed in the films.


	4. The Plan

A/N: This chapter was very difficult to write, but I've finally finished it. It has taken me much longer than I originally intended, and I apologize for the absurdly long wait. Hopefully the next few chapters won't take me quite as long, but I'm not going to make any promises because of real life and all that good stuff.

* * *

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 4: The Plan**

Mari sat down on a slippery rock with what remained of the half-eaten fish in her paws. She chewed off the flesh with a remarkable amount of patience, until only the head and spine remained.

The lioness brought her nose closer to the head, in an attempt to see if any meat was left. Something wobbled in and out of the skull as she clenched the carcass with her front paws. Squished between them were two slimy orbs of gel—the eyes.

It was absolutely disgusting.

As starved for flesh as Mari was, she wasn't going to eat that. The lioness pushed the carcass off the stone with her paw. It fell into the river, quickly floating away in the current with a cloud of blood expanding under water's choppy, translucent surface.

The drying lioness looked up to the sky as she noticed something dark appearing in the top corner of her peripheral vision. An anvil-shaped thunderhead loomed on the horizon, somewhat hiding behind the mountains of the jungle. It was not uncommon for storms to spontaneously appear in the heart of Africa's jungle, but it had the potential to ruin her evening, nevertheless.

She glanced back upstream, where Mohatu had ran off to. Not a single creature was within her line of sight, as far as she could tell. He said he had gone somewhere, but the orange lioness did not expect him to go far.

Mari began meandering back up the river, savoring the time she had been given to think. Much had happened in the preceding hours, and most of it made little sense.

Undoubtedly, she was blinded by her ignorance. The entire pride was completely oblivious to the tomb that hid only a minute away from their new home.

How did that happen? How did one lion manage to find, in one day, what she could not find in an entire month? Mari knew there was something special about Mohatu... but was she only _beginning_ to understand what it was? Did he have some uncanny ability to see what she could not?

The lioness swallowed heavily. If she could not see, she could be fooled. If she could be fooled, her chances of survival would be slim at best.

* * *

"Well..." Karttiki muttered, causing her voice to echo across the walls of the cave. "I guess she was right, but I still think this is a bit ridiculous."

"I don't know, Kaat," Busar whispered. His tail shifted into the shape of a question mark while he scratched his chin with his paw. "Whatever this is supposed to be is beyond me."

A dim orange outline of illumination surrounded the mass of each of the lions. Narisah's fur glowed brighter as the lioness approached the pool of lava in the corner of the cave. "There _is_ something strange about this place... although I'm not sure if it-"

"It's probably just your imagination," Karttiki retorted. "I don't understand, therefore aliens, isn't valid logic."

Busar sat down on the warm, flat floor of the cave. "Isn't it though? We have no way of knowing what happened generations before us. I've lived my whole life in the Pridelands. We all have. Let's try to keep an open mind."

"No... no. It's not that," Busar's mate replied. "It's almost as if the cave _itself_ is alive. I wonder if..." the lioness cleared her throat before she continued speaking. "I wonder if it's possible Mohatu noticed it as well. It's like... something guided him here. Like, it's calling out to him... and to us."

"Could it be his _curiosity?_" Mari's mother asked rhetorically. "I know, he was just in a coma a day ago, and then he found this. But it's just a dead lion. That's it. It is what it is."

"You have to admit, though, this is incredibly strange," Busar replied. "How would you explain how a dead lion ends up in a tomb in the jungle?"

"I... I don't know," Karttiki answered. "But the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. We've never seen humans, aliens, or Gods, so it's kinda ridiculous to jump to such conclusions."

"Guys... stop," Narisah insisted. "Let's not start this again." The lioness paused for several moments, deep in thought until an idea struck her. "But, I think I have an answer."

The other lioness tilted her head. "Do explain."

"The lion was an exile. He came here... to die."

"But what about the symbols?" Busar asked.

"It's possible he didn't know any more than we did. You saw the corpse... he was obviously injured before he died. It's possible he sought solitude in his final moments, and this was the only cave around. Of course, this doesn't exactly explain the symbols in the first place."

"Don't you think you're reading a little bit _too_ much into this, Busar?" Karttiki inquired. "I can take my claw and write on a wall too, but that doesn't mean what I wrote is important. It's just a wall."

"Yeah," Busar agreed. "But why would any lion write on a wall? Could he have been trying to warn us of something?" The male lion asked. "Like, maybe a sort of 'keep out' sign?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Mari's mother sighed. "This is the jungle. No lion lives out here, so making a message would be pointless."

Busar continued to argue. "What if your daughter is right, though? Is it any coincidence that _Mohatu_ found the cave?"

Karttiki rolled her eyes. "This is crazy..."

The lion raised his voice slightly. "It's no more crazy than my sons running away, calling themselves kings, and trying to kill us."

Sensing his discomfort, Narisah walked closer to her mate and nuzzled him gently. "I _know_ it wasn't our fault."

"No... I didn't mean it like that," Mari's mother apologized, after realizing what she had implied. "I didn't expect Leo to betray us either—I don't think _anyone_ could have expected that. But there's lots of other possible explanations that are unrelated to any of the ridiculous theories you're thinking of."

"There's only one way we'll know for sure," Busar replied. The lion looked all around the chamber nervously. "You know _the plan_," he whispered, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't doubt that," Karttiki finally agreed. "If there is anyone that will be able to find out what happened to Leo and Rex, it's going to be Mohatu and Mari."

"I assume you already talked to her about it?" The wise lion asked.

"No," the lioness replied. "Of course she knows about _the plan_; that was _her_ idea. But I haven't asked her if she wants to be the one to do it. I'll tell her tonight."

"I'd be surprised if she doesn't already know she's going to be the one," Busar added.

"I don't know if she's thought about it or not," Karttiki responded. "But, I'm sure she'll be up to the challenge."

"Actually," Narisah interrupted, "I think it would be best if we all talked about this."

Busar nodded in agreement before grabbing a stick between his teeth. He held it over the lava until it caught fire, as the other two lions began walking out of the cave.

"It's going to be a long night," Karttiki moaned. "I guess I'll go find Mari and Mohatu. I'll meet you two at five rocks."

* * *

Mohatu's eyes remained fixed on the water running beneath his paws. He waited patiently, salivating at the thought of biting into another hunk of flesh.

His paws were getting numb from the intense chill. Simultaneously, his throat was growing drier, but regardless, he continued not to move a muscle until his eyes met a splash of water upstream.

The lion lowered his head until it was barely above the surface of the water. As the school of fish swam closer to him, Mohatu watched intently. His tail roamed about with obvious pleasure, despite the lion's deep state of concentration.

Splash!

Mohatu submerged his head into the river, clenching one of the many scaly creatures between his teeth. He then lifted his head up quickly, and simultaneously swallowed the fish whole, acting like a pig.

"There you are," Mari called.

Mohatu noticed the lioness approaching, and tried to recover quickly from the euphoria of enjoying a delicious meal. "Hey," he replied, smiling casually as he stepped onto dry land.

"Looks like we might be getting a thunderstorm tonight," said the lioness, pointing towards the thunderhead looming beyond the jungle peaks. "If you want to do anything else today, now's the time."

The lion's eyebrow shifted upwards slightly. "Odd. I didn't see that a minute ago."

"It happens. You know, with monsoon season and all."

The lion nodded. "Yeah... I guess."

"Well?"

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me," Mohatu replied. "I don't really care."

Mari placed her forepaws on a boulder. As if she had nothing better to do, the lioness began to lick herself clean, after noticing her paws were covered in dirt particles that clung to her wet fur. "Well, I don't care either," she said, almost sounding lackadaisical for the first time.

"Would you care if I pushed you off that rock?" Mohatu grinned.

Mari leaped onto the bolder, turning to face the brown lion below her with a playful expression. Her tail moved up into the air with confidence. "Try it," she begged.

Mohatu circled around the boulder with cat-like patience. He waited for the perfect moment to catch the lioness off guard.

"The ground is lava," Mari teased.

Mohatu looked at the lioness with a confused expression. The dirt below his paws wasn't burning.

It took him a second to realize what Mari had really meant: she wanted to play a game. Acknowledging the idea, Mohatu began to play along. "Dammit! I'd rather not burn alive today!"

His eyes caught sight of an enormous alstonia tree on the other side of the boulder. Mohatu hastily leaped across the rock and sank his claws deep into its trunk. For added support, he placed his hind legs above the tree's roots. "I'm going to live!"

"Impressive," Mari replied. "But can you climb up to that branch?"

Mohatu looked up to the branch above him. It was only slightly out of range of his paw, if he attempted to reach up to grab onto it.

The lion coiled his hind legs, before jumping into the base of the tree. He sprang off the enormous trunk and grabbed a hold of the branch above him. Using every ounce of his upper body strength, Mohatu began to swing back and forth across the branch to gain momentum.

"What are you doing?" Mari asked.

He spotted a branch slightly higher than the one he held onto, and when he was ready, the lion released his grip and soared through the jungle canopy. As he flew through the air, Mohatu managed to grasp on to the other branch above. While he held on to the higher branch, the lion pulled his weight up by wedging his hind legs into the crevices of the tree's bark.

"That would have been too easy," Mohatu bragged, after placing all four paws above the higher branch. He swished his tail around delightfully above him.

"Don't get too cocky," the lioness replied. "Rex could have done a hell of a lot better than that."

Mohatu tilted his head. "What was that? I can't hear you," he lied. The lion backed up, until his hind legs were planted firmly against the base of the tree. He ran forward, gaining tremendous momentum as he ran across the branch on which he stood.

"...but you're just as crazy," Mari added quietly, rolling her eyes.

Mohatu repeated the process, jumping around from one branch to another. Within seconds, he was high enough to be safe from any impending volcanic eruption below, even if it was only imaginary. Although many leaves obscured his vision, he had a magnificent view of the jungle.

Not far away, he saw what appeared to be a fire on the surface of the jungle floor. He squinted his eyes to try to get a better look. "Huh," he thought. "That's weird."

The brown lion looked down to see if Mari was still standing on that rock. Oddly enough, she, and another lioness, were looking back up at him.

"Hey, get down here!" Mari yelled.

Mohatu jumped from the branch, aimed at a pile of hay in a leap of faith.

Several pieces of dead grass flew up into the air, as Mohatu came crashing down into the pile. He thrashed about for a few seconds, before emerging tail-first. "I'm alright."

As he turned around, Mohatu spotted Mari and her mother, Karttiki. "What's going on?"

"We're going back to Five Rocks," Karttiki explained. "We've got some... things... to discuss."

"It's about that artifact, isn't it?" Mohatu asked.

"Sort of," Karttiki answered. "I'll explain later."

Mohatu rolled his eyes as he followed the two lionesses. He was growing tired of those three words.

* * *

The burning logs from Busar's small fire illuminated the circle of lions. The pride stood around the last bit of light as the sun retreated behind the jungle's towering mountains. The rumbling of thunder could be heard far off in the distance.

Mari turned to Mohatu with a dirty grin. "Actually, you might not want to sit there."

"Why is that?" the lion inquired.

The golden lioness raised her paw. "It's the crap zone. There's a bird nest up there... and that's where their crap falls."

Mohatu looked up, and inched back slowly, while his face began to turn pink. "Oh. Didn't see that." Once he was in the clear, Mohatu moved to the other side of Mari.

After the lions were comfortable sitting around the fire, Busar attempted to explain the situation to Irena, while she held her sleepy cub. "Mohatu, could you tell us what you found?" Busar asked.

"Well... I think it's an artifact of some sort," he explained. "I'm not sure _what_ it is, but I noticed that the big symbol on it is the same as one of the symbols on that wall."

"Indeed it is," Irena replied. "I saw it. I didn't see what was in the tomb."

"There was this rock," Mohatu continued. "It had a spiral symbol on it... it kinda looked like the sun. I wiped the dust off the section of the wall, and noticed it was hollow. So I tried to push it. That opened up a passageway to the bottom half of the cave, and, in there, was the sarcophagus of a lion. That was where I found the artifact."

"Fascinating," Irena muttered. "Is that all?"

"That was it, basically," Mari added. "There really wasn't a whole lot to see."

Busar focused his attention on the lioness beside Mohatu. "But, you said something else, earlier?"

"I think... I don't know for sure, but I think, that artifact has some importance. It has a very precise structure, like it was intended to fit into something..."

"I agree," Mohatu added. "I think there's more to it than that."

"My guess is that the writing on that wall is a map of some sort," Mari explained. There are nine symbols, seemingly scattered around the wall, but what if they actually represent a location? What if what we found is only part of a whole... and to read the intended message, we need the whole."

"I think you're missing the point here," Karttiki interrupted. "What if there is no message? What if it's just a dead lion? Then what?"

"Then we're right back where we started," Mari reminded.

"I think it's worth looking into," Busar explained. "What we have, quite literally, could be the key to the kingdom."

"What do you mean?" Mohatu asked.

"If we are to bring an end to this terrible war, we need to figure out how it started," the older lion continued. "My sons were arrogant and ambitious lions, but they were never flat out _evil_. Not until they left the Pridelands for an entire year."

"And this means?"

"All I'm saying is that something must have happened out there," Busar replied.

"But what does this have to do with the disc?" Mohatu questioned, as a nearby lightning strike shook the ground below.

"If Mari is correct, it is possible that Leo and Rex found one of these artifacts when they ran away. This could be the very reason why they turned against us. Leo was always the curious one..."

Narisah continued where Busar left off. "We can't all go following in Leo's paw prints; that would attract too much attention from Rex. But, a small group should be able to slip through the borders undetected."

"I'm interested," Mohatu replied.

"We need someone strong... someone capable of surviving in the unknown. Some lion who is brave, smart, and capable of being a leader. Are you sure you're up to this?" Busar's mate asked.

"I guess," the lion answered, and then winked at Mari. "But I'm not going to go alone."

"I'll go with you," Mari replied, causing a wide smile to form across Mohatu's muzzle.

The other lions breathed a sigh of relief. Not even Karttiki doubted that the two would make a perfect team. Persuading them to accept the mission was hardly necessary.

"When do we start?" Mohatu asked.

"Preferably sooner, rather than later," Busar said.

Meanwhile, a strange, cackling laughter sounded from the clouds above, interrupting the Pride's discussion.

"What was that?" Mari asked, looking up to the sky.

The thunderhead began to take the form of a lion, while the wind started blowing with significant force. The loud roar of the gusts brought Uru into a state of consciousness, and the cub began to push herself back into her mother's fur. "Oh, you don't know, do you?" the voice continued.

"What the hell is going on?" Karttiki asked. "Clouds don't talk!"

"You imbeciles..." the ghost murmured. "You have _no idea_ what you have there, don't you? It's amusing, really."

"Reveal yourself!" Busar demanded.

"Oh, I suppose I've forgotten my manners. Heh, that's what ten millennia of waiting will do. I am Algenubi, former king of beasts."

"Algenubi?" Mohatu asked quietly. The lion scratched his head while he repeated the name. _Algenubi_.

"What do you mean, _king_?" Busar asked.

"Oh, you pitiful fools, frightened by what you do not understand. The kings were the unopposed rulers. Our strength was unmatched. Our intelligence was far beyond that of yours. Our conquest was inevitable. We are an unstoppable force for order. Not even death can hold us back... and that is why we shall rise again!"

The pride of lions below merely gazed up in amazement, as they stared into the eyes of a Godly creature. Only a single thought ran through their minds: was that what it meant to be a king?

"Look at yourselves," Algenubi continued. "Hiding, like cowards, in the jungle. I don't know how you ever managed to find my tomb. You're pathetic... and to think you call yourselves lions. It's a joke, really. Except..." the ghost fixed his attention on Mohatu. "Except _you_. _You_ were the one, weren't you?"

"It was me," Mohatu admitted. "I found your tomb."

"Take the artifact. Keep it. Go to Lea Halalela. Only there will you find answers."

"But... what is it?" Mohatu asked.

"Must I explain every little thing for your insignificant mind to be able to comprehend? It's a key. If you can find the others, and bring them to Lea Halalela, you will be able to unlock the knowledge hidden there by the last _true_ king. Only then will you have proven yourself worthy of being his successor."

"But maybe I don't want to be king." Mohatu retorted. "The king is evil!"

Algenubi simply laughed. "Look around, Mohatu, and tell me. You think these are your friends? You have no idea. You'll understand someday."

The other lions gulped. "Don't listen to him," Busar replied. "He's trying to turn you against us... just like he did to Leo and Rex."

"Oh, am I?" Algenubi asked sarcastically. "Now, why would I do such a thing..."

"Where is Lea Halalela?" Mari demanded from the ghost.

"It's beyond your little cradle in the Pridelands, of course," the ancient king answered easily. "It's deep in the desert. Oh, don't worry, you would die long before you'd ever make it there, weakling."

Mari's eyes widened. Suddenly, everything made sense. Whatever this _Lea Halalela_ was, Leo and Rex must have found it. "Whatever we do, we can't let Rex get his paws on the key," Mari replied.

"Go to Lea Halalela. Find the keys, and fulfill your destiny," Algenubi reminded Mohatu ominously. The lion's shape began to distort and fade away. "You can be so much more. You are a lion... the king of beasts. Remember..."

The clouds cleared up, leaving behind a dark, empty sky, with the belt of Venus on the horizon. As the winds died down, the remaining lions looked at one another with expressions of disbelief. Nothing remained of the fire but a pile of ashes.

"Did that just..." Karttiki stuttered.

Mohatu replied, equally flabbergasted. "What is this, I don't even..."

"I... guess that answers our question," Busar began. "This whole time... we've been completely unaware of all this." The lion lowered his head. "How could we have been so stupid..."

"There's no way we could have known," Narisah replied.

"But what are we supposed to do now?" Karttiki asked. "Just hide the key and hope Rex never manages to find it? That does _not_ sound like a good plan."

"No," Mohatu insisted. "We'll go to Lea Halalela. We need to know more, and that's the only way..."

Irena placed her paw over her cub, pulling the trembling Uru closer into her warm coat of fur. "Be careful," she warned. "I'd hate to see you follow Rex's path."

"I won't take Rex's place as king of the Pridelands. I promise."

Simultaneously, Busar shifted his gaze to Mari. "Are you sure you're up for this?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am," she assured her mentor. "We can do this."

"You'll do fine," Karttiki replied, trying to be optimistic for the sake of her own daughter.

"I don't care _what_ Algenubi said," Mohatu added. The lion looked up to the night sky with hope as he yawned. "I'm not going to be the next king. Even if it means I have to die."

"We'll leave as soon as the next storm hits the Pridelands," Mari told Mohatu. "That'll give us the cover we need to escape to the desert."

"Alright," the lion acknowledged Mari's plan. "So, everything's good? It's all sorted out?" Mohatu asked.

"I'd say so," Mari replied. Meanwhile, the other lions looked at one another with worried, but hopeful expressions.

"I guess I'm going to go get some rest. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Mari yawned in return. The lioness wandered away as well, before lying down beside her favorite sleeping spot under the stars. She tried to push the worries out of her mind, so she could allow herself to fall asleep.

Likewise, the remaining lions began to recline sleepily.

"They're going to be walking along a dangerous path," Narisah whispered to her mate. "I'm not sure who I'm worried about more."

"I don't know either," Busar sighed, creating a grove for his head to rest on the thick grass. "I knew things were bad, but I never knew we had _Gods_ against us..."

Narisah curled up beside the old lion. "He's no God," she replied. "He would have killed us already."

"Gee, that's comforting," Busar replied sleepily.


	5. Celestial Serenity

A/N: I actually planned on uploading this chapter a few days ago, but I didn't get around to doing that. Although, to be honest, I think that actually turned out to be for the better. This chapter should seem more 'polished' as a result, since I've spent a bit more time on this one. At least parts of it should be, anyway. I hope it was worth the wait!

* * *

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 5: Celestial Serenity**

"This is it, Rex. This must be _it_," one lion whispered to another. The two were alone, standing gallantly amidst an unrelenting sea of bright orange sand.

Numerous cuts and scratches were buried beneath their thick coats of fur. Clearly, the young adult lions looked as if they had been to hell and back. Indeed, they had experienced both the heat of the Badlands _and_ the heat of battle, for roughly a month. As a matter of fact, hell wasn't much of an exaggeration, to say the least.

But despite their continuous struggle to survive, the two brothers made it through alive.

They looked across the desert horizon with awe. A distinct shape was faintly visible, standing above the blended edge of the Earth and sky. It looked almost like a group of mountains, but different, in a very peculiar way. They were perfectly shaped, symmetrical, and precisely spaced, converging to specific points in the sky.

They were not mountains, but pyramids. They were created not by the forces of nature, but by the ancient kings.

"So that's Lea halalela," the other lion replied, with his jaw agape. He looked up to the larger lion beside him, while sand blew through their manes and irritated their open wounds. "Can it really be? Are its secrets truly worth the risk?"

"We will see," the older one answered. "We came all the way out here for this. There is no turning back now."

It was evident from their combined expressions of fascination and astonishment that the two lions found much more than they initially sought.

* * *

Back in reality, Mohatu buried his head into his paws, while the scene of Leo and Rex faded into darkness. Even in his semi-conscious state of sleep, he could not shake the thoughts from his mind.

In fact, the vision in his head only caused the lion to raise further questions. What was _Lea Halalela_? The image of three enormous triangular structures in the desert had been burned deep into his subconscious mind, but what were they?

Was Algenubi trying to show him what he needed to find? Was this some mode of telepathic communication?

The lion stretched his paws out as he yawned, scratching lines into the ground with his claws. He had decided within an instant that trying to sleep was pointless. It was undeniably a futile effort, with so many unanswered questions on the cusp of his mind.

Mohatu rolled over so that he rested on his other side. His new position was slightly more comfortable, but the feeling of pleasure faded after merely a few minutes. Eventually, the lion rose to his paws and began pacing around the jungle, deep in thought and writhe with various emotions of curiosity.

Above him, the night sky bathed the many trees with a dim light. Beyond the trees stood a bright round circle—the moon. It was significantly brighter than any of the other strange objects in the sky, and much larger as well.

Something was there, very far away, glowing faintly. Mohatu could only wonder if it was watching him, perhaps calling to him, even.

"Algenubi?" he hailed, although his voice was little more than a feeble whisper.

Only a cricket answered. Perhaps it had been several crickets in all reality, but no lion could tell the difference, if it even mattered. The jungle was filled with all sorts of strange, exotic noises, regardless of the time of day.

Mohatu's eyes turned to the soil below his paws. "I need answers," he muttered quietly. "And I need them _now_."

Moments later, the lion began to make lines in the sand with his claw. His unwitting movements were mostly a result of nervousness as he waited meekly.

As he realized what he was doing, he tried to remember the locations of the symbols on the cave wall. The thought occurred to him that he could decode and interpret the message if he saw it before his eyes.

Mohatu ran over to a patch of dirt that was surrounded entirely by tall shrubs and grasses. He extended his largest claw, and began writing on the smooth surface of dirt.

From what he could remember, on the left there were three dots. On the right, there were six, in the shape of a backwards question mark. Mohatu's paw replicated the marks as he envisioned them on the cave wall.

The marking labeled 'ε' was farthest to the right. If he connected the dots, the one closest to it was 'μ'. Next in line was 'ξ', then 'γ', and then 'η'.

It made no sense. There was no pattern. After moments of staring at the group of seemingly meaningless symbols, the lion looked up to the stars and sighed in exasperation.

Yet, as he began to scratch his ear, something stood out while his head was tilted to the side.

The position of the symbols seemed to align with a cluster of stars, as long as his head remained in the awkward position. There were three on the left, and four on the right, in the shape of a backwards question mark.

Could he have been right? Was it a star map?

The lion shifted his neck back into its normal position, and the alignment faded. Was it just his imagination? Was it pure coincidence?

Mohatu's gaze returned to his markings in the dirt. For several minutes afterward, his eyes wandered sporadically between the heavens above, and the potential star map below.

As Mohatu continued to think, yet another critical realization dawned on him. He connected the curved line he drew on the right side with the three markings on the left. The shape vaguely resembled that of a large feline.

Did it represent a lion in the sky? Did it mean Algenubi watched over the land? Could he have been watching Mohatu's every move?

The mere thought began to freak him out. There _was_ a message hidden within, that much was certain.

He pointed his paw towards the star that marked the lion's head in the sky. It was the same one that was labeled with the character 'ε'.

The lion's eyes widened, and his tail stopped dead in its tracks. "You! You're Algenubi!"

Suddenly, Mohatu began to feel a loss of breath. If each star in the night sky represented an ancient king, there must have been thousands of others, if not millions.

"Whoa..." he whispered. For a single moment, he had recognized the vastness of time and space. The amount of stars in the sky was nearly infinite**—**and so was the ancient kingdom.

He was _nothing_.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mari heard rustling in the bushes adjacent to her, further driving her mind into a state of consciousness.

Although the lioness would not have been sleeping anyway, she groaned in frustration. There was simply too much at stake. The burden of guiding Mohatu rested squarely on her shoulders.

There was not a doubt in Mari's mind that the lion was destined to be the next king of the Pridelands. He could overthrow Rex easily. He _would_ overthrow Rex, this she was sure of. He had already escaped death once, by a sheer stroke of luck and deliberate actions on her part.

Not every lion was born great, but some were. He just happened to be one of those lions. After all, he was Mohatu: the supposed _'savior'_.

But forcing him to follow that path would not be easy. For the sake of everything Mari's pride had fought for, she could not allow him to become the next king. The coming months would be the challenge of her life.

Yet, at the same time, she began to wonder if she, herself, could stay loyal to her pride. Whatever entity that Leo and Rex found beyond the Pridelands managed to brainwash them both. Would she become corrupted as well? How strong would she have to be to resist?

The lioness looked to the stars, glistening above her, as she rested her back on a cradle in the grass.

She would have to be strong. Her pride depended on it. They trusted her with their lives. It was not just the few lions that remained after Leo's purge who needed her either; she felt it obligatory to honor her dead brethren as well.

Mari brought her paw up to rub her eyes. She yawned, and a slight roar nearly escaped her.

Consequently, more rustling sounds came from the bushes. Something was definitely moving over there. Whatever it was, it heard her.

The lioness began to follow the sound with her nose plowing through the many blades of grass. Nothing smelled out of the ordinary, but she did recognize the familiar scent of an adult male lion.

"M-Mohatu? What are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing, what are _you_ doing?" Mohatu whispered from behind a large shrub.

"I heard some noises," Mari replied. "Are you..." she began to ask, but her voice faded into silence.

"I'm fine," the lion answered. "I'll go back to bed... in a little bit."

Mari's eyes darted across the horizon in a sudden moment of awkwardness. "Well, I... ugh... can't sleep either."

Mohatu stared at the lioness, waiting for her to continue.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a little while?"

The lion's heart began to beat faster as he resisted the urge to tell her to stay with a frightening level of enthusiasm. "It's fine, I guess..." he replied, trying to keep calm.

In consequence, Mari sat down beside him. "What's this?" she asked, staring at Mohatu's scribbles in the dirt with an expression of confusion.

"I was trying to crack the code," Mohatu answered. "But then I realized... it's not a code at all."

"What is it then?" asked the lioness. "Wait a second... is that a-"

"Yes. If you connect the dots, it looks kinda like a lion."

"Weird," Mari exclaimed. Her eyes lit up wide with fascination. "I never looked at it that way before."

"There's more to it than that," Mohatu continued, nodding his head to the serene night sky above. "Look at the stars, and tilt your head to the right."

"Uh... okay," the lioness replied, tilting her head in the opposite direction. She did as the lion told her, but could not find the constellation. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Other way," Mohatu laughed. "_Doesn't that_ look like a lion?"

"I guess it kinda... ah, I see it now!"

The stars in the shape of a backwards question mark on the right represented the lion's mane, and the three on the left represented the constellation's legs and tail.

It was not unusual for lions to claim to see patterns or images in the stars, but this one was blatantly obvious. It actually _looked_ like a lion. After Mohatu had pointed it out, it was nearly impossible to miss.

Mohatu grinned. "I guess I'm not crazy," he stated with a playfully rhetorical tone.

"How did you notice that?" Mari asked quickly.

The lion began to smile even more as he started chuckling. "I don't know how I've done half of the things I've done today."

"Figures," Mari retorted.

As he ceased his mild snickering, Mohatu's eyes returned to the night sky. "I guess all these sparkling dots are kings... or something. Hell, if I know. I _still_ can't believe that actually happened!"

Mari yawned. "Yeah, me neither. But, considering all we've been through, it isn't too much of a surprise."

"Hmm? Why is that?" Mohatu asked, showing a moderate level of interest.

"I sorta always suspected something was out of place," Mari continued to elaborate. "Leo... he wasn't really a murderer until he left the Pridelands."

"Why did he leave?" the brown lion inquired.

"It's a long story," Mari replied, before dragging her tongue of sandpaper across one of her forepaws to wipe it clean.

"That's okay," Mohatu attempted to persuade the lioness. "It's not like I have anything better to do right now."

Mari looked up, beginning to regret ever mentioning the word 'Leo'. "Don't you?"

The lion sat still for several seconds, staring deep into Mari's eyes with boredom. They both began to notice crickets chirping loudly in the trees behind her, as many more moments passed by.

"Okay, fine, I guess I'll tell you," Mari began, finally giving in to Mohatu's stubborn gaze. "It all started one evening, back when I was first learning to hunt..."

* * *

The back of Mari's throat tingled with thirst, as she approached the drying waterhole on her return home. The lioness was beyond exhausted after several hours of chasing prey.

The lands were, without a doubt, going through an intense dry season. Despite the cooling temperatures of night, not a drop of dew could be found on the many blades of grass under her paws. For the first time in generations, the Pridelands were becoming a desert. What would happen when the waterholes dried up as well? Who would get the last drop?

It was a question the lioness pushed aside as she continued to walk. She would worry about it another day. She could see the reflection of the moonlight glimmering across the horizon, and that was all that mattered. As long as some water remained, there was no cause for immediate concern.

The lioness brought her muzzle to the surface of the water. Before she began drinking, Mari heard Busar speaking in a strange, authoritative voice. Immediately, she began to wonder what happened, as it was very unusual to hear the lion speak with a stern tone—especially to his own son.

"You're overreacting, Leo!"

The lioness paused. She could only wonder if Leo had done something wrong. Her question was answered quickly with her friend's response.

"Am I? Am I _really_? The safety of our entire pride is at stake here, and _you_ tell me I'm overreacting?" Leo retorted angrily. The young lion sounded as if he was on the verge of slaughtering whoever was in his path out of rage.

Whatever it was the two were arguing about, Mari could not question its importance. She tried to drink quickly, gulping down as much water as possible. The sooner her thirst was quenched, the sooner she could investigate.

"Calm down. We have no proof of who did this... not yet," Busar replied. "Musashi hasn't done anything wrong!"

As the lioness finished drinking, she glanced over to the other side of the drying waterhole. Leo's younger brother was there as well.

Leo grew more frustrated by the second. "What! No proof?" The lion looked down towards an imprint in the cracked surface of dirt, which was once underwater. "Look at these tracks! If these aren't hyena prints, then _what are they_?"

The imprints looked similar to a lion's paw, but were slightly smaller in size. Each toe print was far too close together to be a lion, and the claw marks were clearly visible. They completely surrounded what remained of the empty but bloody carcass, so the kill was unquestionably intentional, requiring both precision and organization of a hunting party.

More than likely, Leo's assumption was correct.

"It could be another lion," Busar retorted. "We can't make assumptions-"

Leo's younger brother interrupted his father. "Haven't you seen the way that filthy hyena acts around us? She has _no_ respect for you. She doesn't have any respect for any of us!"

"That's no reason-"

"YES IT IS!" Leo roared. "She's plotting to kill every one of us! I heard it myself! And... and you're just going to sit here in your cradle of ignorance, and let it happen? You have _no idea_ what happens outside of Pride Rock. You only live in this little den of superiority. Tell me, do you even know the hardships all the other creatures are going through right now, because of the hyenas?"

"_You_ don't understand," Busar retorted. "We cannot-"

"If those slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers are going to try to intimidate us, we need to push back. If they want a fight, we'll give them a damn war."

"LISTEN TO ME!" Busar roared. "We are not going to attack first. If they attack us, we can retaliate, but until then, this is all speculation, and nothing more."

"They _did_ attack us!" Rex corrected. "Good lord... are you _blind_?" he asked in frustration, gesturing towards the dead lion cub. "Abeni is dead, and it's all because you're too damn cowardly to put the hyenas in their place."

"You don't care about our pride! You never have! You're not brave enough to look out for any lion other than yourself," Leo concluded in disgust.

"You aren't going to blame the hyenas because you fear them," Rex added. "That's all there is to it!"

"You _know_ that's not true," Busar yelled. "You are the one acting out of fear... fear of what will happen if we do not act."

After waiting for the perfect moment, Rex added to the conversation by seizing the opportunity to insult his father. "How many cubs will have to die before we retaliate? Is there like some specific number?" the younger brother questioned angrily, while Leo was nearly ready to run off.

"I don't care what you say," Leo spat. "I'm not going to sit and watch while my land turns to hell. I'll let _you_ be the one to tell Vasari her cub was murdered tonight."

Leo then spotted Mari across from the waterhole. "I mean it," Leo continued. "You can tell her."

After he had spoken his final words, the adolescent Leo began running towards the lioness at full speed. "Mari!" he called. "There you are! I've been looking for you."

"What's happening?" she inquired, looking at him worriedly.

"We're leaving tonight," Leo stated. "Rex and I going to hunt down the hyenas. I'll be back in less than a week. I promise."

"But..."

"It'll be fine," Leo replied. He stepped closer, and licked Mari behind her ear. "They won't be able to mess with us."

The lioness shook her head, as her eyes became glassy and filled with water. "No, no, no! I mean, what's going on? Why are you doing this? Is Abeni really dead?"

"I overheard Musashi talking about taking over the Pridelands a few days ago. I didn't realize she was being serious, until now. They want control of the waterhole, and they're willing to kill us all for it."

"It's that bad?" Mari asked.

Leo's eyes darted rapidly across the horizon. "It's worse than that," he whispered. "I need you to run away."

Mari struggled to hold back tears. "But, why? Where should I go?"

"The hyenas are going to attack Pride Rock at midnight, tonight. Dad wouldn't believe me... but I'm not going to take the risk. Rex and I are going to try to catch them with their tails down before it happens, but I want you to be safe."

"Should I warn the others?" Mari asked.

Leo stood still for a moment as he thought. "Tell them to split up. It will make it hard for Musashi to plan an attack."

"Are you sure you can do this?" Mari whispered anxiously.

"We'll make it through alive," Leo assured the orange lioness beside her. "But, I wanted to tell you..." the lion paused, taking a break to stare at the ground.

"I just want you to know, no matter what happens tonight... you'll always be my friend."

A single tear began to roll down from Mari's eye. She nuzzled Leo in a spontaneous moment of bliss, feeling the gentle warmth of his mane for the last time.

"Go back to Pride Rock," Leo commanded. "Tell the others to evacuate. I'll find Rex, and we'll drive the hyenas away from the Pridelands by morning. Remember us. Remember why we fight."

* * *

"You see," Mari explained, "Leo and Rex left the Pridelands because they were chasing the hyenas. The next morning, I followed the scent all the way to the outskirts of the Pridelands... and into the Badlands. I never dared to follow them beyond the borders. No one did."

"Was that the last time you saw Leo?" the lion asked. "That was it? He just _left_?"

"Yeah. He had good intentions... but I just don't think it worked out that way."

"Seems like the whole issue could have been avoided," Mohatu replied easily. "It would make more sense to ration the water supply."

"That it would," Mari agreed, exhaling lightly. "But who would have enforced it? And, besides, I don't think the hyenas would have-"

The lion raised a brow. "So, you agree with what Leo and Rex did?" he asked.

"No, I don't. Their purge is going to plague us for generations to come... but you have to understand. It was a tough time for us, and negotiating the issue wasn't as easy as you'd think."

Mari sighed heavily after lecturing at the lion beside her. "Regardless, it's in the past now. What's done is done."

"Fair enough," Mohatu agreed. "But still, I don't know... it's not what I would have expected you to tell me."

"What did you expect me to say?" Mari asked.

"I don't know... it's just weird. You made it seem like Leo and Rex were heroes."

"Hah," Mari laughed lightly. "He was... kinda."

Mohatu leaned forward. "Huh?"

"I used to think so, at least. I assumed he died in the Badlands, trying to save us. I looked up to him. I wanted to be like him." The lioness shook her head slowly. "I was such a fool."

"What? How was that foolish?"

"Perhaps he was a hero, but that doesn't mean he wasn't also a blood-thirsty, power-hungry... monster. The two are, by no means, mutually exclusive. I was foolish enough not to see that."

"You don't think _true_ heroes exist?" Mohatu asked.

Mari's face began to reveal an expression of despair. "In a time like this? No, I don't. There are no heroes anymore. Not on _either_ side of the conflict."

"Well, I do," Mohatu announced. The lion began to tremble with anxiety. This was it; this was his time to tell her. "I can think of one."

"And who would that be?"

He paused for a minute, trying to regain his composure. It was just one word. All he had to do was say it.

The lion's voice was reduced to a nervous whisper. "You."

Instinctively, Mohatu looked back down at the markings he made in the dirt, immediately regretting the decision to say anything. Why did he say it that way? It was far too dorky.

Mari closed her eyes to hold back her sudden surge of gratitude. Her face began to turn pink with embarrassment. "Thank you... but I'm no hero."

"If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead," Mohatu replied, trying to add reason to his words. "I'd say that qualifies."

"No... it's not like that."

"What about your mother? Busar? Irena? Are they not heroes?"

"I think you misunderstood me," Mari replied. "Not being a jerk doesn't make someone a hero. It just makes them... not a jerk. A hero is a lion that goes above and beyond that. As much as I want to think such a lion exists, I doubt it. I'm not the naive cub I used to be."

Mohatu was relieved to find that Mari hadn't picked up on the actual, deeper meaning of his words, and happily followed the lioness's interpretation instead. "You don't really trust anyone, do you?" he asked, trying not to sound too rude.

Mari held her head down for a brief second. "Look, I... I'm sorry. It's not you... it's me." Obviously, she was beginning to feel uneasy about where the conversation was headed.

Mohatu leaned back, stretching his legs out comfortably. "It's okay. Nobody's perfect. I won't bother you about it."

"I would rather not have talked about it to begin with."

"I'm sorry," Mohatu replied. "I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't," Mari said neutrally. "I'm not going to hold that against you. I'm sure you mean well with your questions, but there's just too many things I'd rather not _ever_ have to talk about."

The lion yawned. "Well, if you ever change your mind, I'm here for you."

"I appreciate the offer," Mari nodded.

The lioness then moved her flank into the air as she stretched her spine and forepaws paws on the ground. "You know, I guess it's about time to go back to sleep," the lioness added. "It's getting late. It'll be morning soon."

"Are you sure?" Mohatu asked. "I wouldn't mind staying up a little later."

"I think I've had enough insomnia for one night," she replied.

"Oh... okay then." The lion placed his paw over Mari's tail for a moment, pinning it lightly to the ground as she attempted to walk away.

"Despite all we've been through... today was actually kinda fun," he smiled, before relaxing his grip of her tail.

"Yeah," Mari beamed back at the lion. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Mohatu replied cheerfully.

The lion rolled over onto his back and gazed up at the stars. He dozed off minutes later, as happy thoughts filled the lion's mind.

She _was_ his hero. He liked her**—**perhaps even a bit too much.


	6. Black Dawn

A/N: Just as a fair warning, from here on out the upcoming chapters will be much darker than the previous ones. This is basically where the story starts to earn its 'T' rating, although in reality nothing here is any more violent than what you'll find in a high school history textbook. I'm really only saying this because the tone of this chapter is a little bit bloodier than I originally intended it to be, considering this is a Lion King story and all.

* * *

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 6: Black Dawn  
**

The moon that previously lit up the night sky shifted far below the horizon. As time passed, the lion shape clearly visible in the stars moved all the way to the west as well. The constellation of Leo could barely be seen above the jungle mountains.

Dawn was approaching quickly.

Unfortunately, Mari had not slept a single bit. She sat uncomfortably by the waterhole, after relieving her dry throat with a refreshing drink of water.

Yet, despite the lack of moonlight, something bright loomed beyond the trees on the other side of the small body of water. A strange orange glow lit up the horizon, but it wasn't the sun. It couldn't have been. This was different.

Simply out of curiosity, Mari decided to take a look. She followed the edge of the pond closely, where there were fewer trees obstructing the path to the other side.

The lioness looked across the glassy body of water as she shuffled through the tall grasses. The lake began to reflect the strange light as well.

Her eyes moved to the other side of jungle. Before she could realize what the light was, it became apparent that the light was spreading rapidly. It was everywhere.

Simultaneously, Mari began to realize she wasn't alone. A deep, authoritative voice sounded from the grass. "Don't move, lioness!"

Mari stopped dead in her tracks. Needless to say, she did not recognize the male's voice. It wasn't Mohatu, and it definitely wasn't Busar.

the lioness's heartbeat accelerated to ludicrous levels. This wasn't good. Certainly, it was the worst thing to happen in months. One of her worst fears had become a reality, and it was time for her to face it.

If it wasn't a lion she knew, it must have been a lion that wanted to kill her. It was only a matter of time before things got ugly.

Yet, Mari did not move out of apprehension.

"What are you doing all the way _out here_, hmm?" The voice asked suggestively.

Mari's claws dug into the dirt below her, ripping the grass roots straight from the ground. Clearly, he knew why she was there. He must have known, she thought, or else he wouldn't have come to the jungle.

His intentions were obvious. He wanted her pride dead, and the key of Algenubi in his paws.

But that was clearly out of the question.

"I'm giving you time to think about _who_ you're messing with," Mari replied in an equally threatening tone, finally acquiring the courage to speak.

Obviously, she had even faced off against Leo and Rex before, so her fear did not control her entirely.

Yet, her success in those encounters was largely due to the fact that she had prepared herself, both mentally and physically. Of course, this was in addition to the fact that her pride was with her when she killed Leo.

Though she hated to admit it, that was an assassination. This time, it was nearly the complete opposite. The element of surprise was being turned _against_ her.

Whether or not she could hold her own after rotting in the jungle for months was what concerned her. Essentially, it was all about to come down to her experience and physical conditioning.

Regardless, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She waited for her attacker to approach, shifting into her fighting stance and readying her muscles for battle.

At long last, a silhouette of a lion emerged from the tall grasses, laughing condescendingly. "Hah! You? Is that a joke?"

The lioness growled in retaliation, showing off her sharp teeth.

"Huh. Perhaps you're not such a coward after all," the assailant continued, surprised by the fact that Mari was willing to hold her ground.

Suddenly, a realization dawned upon the lion. "Wait a minute... you must be the one that killed Leo! So, tell me, if you're such a good fighter, why are you hiding out here? Are you scared of what you might find in the _Pridelands_?"

"I'm not afraid of a straight fight," Mari replied. "This is your last chance: leave or _die_," she warned.

"Not going to happen, missy. Your little apostate here is done. This entire jungle is being burnt to the ground as we speak."

Instinctively, Mari denied his words out of anger. "You lie."

"Soon, there will be nowhere left for you to run and hide. Surely, you must realize Rex's kingdom is unstoppable!"

Mari clenched her jaws together as hard as she could. This wasn't going to happen. This _couldn't_ happen.

If any lion was going to die, it was going to be this jerkface. She had already decided that much.

As confident as mari's attacker seemed, she knew something he didn't. The very thought that kept her awake suddenly gave her a rush of hope. "It's not what you think," Mari retorted. "If Rex thinks he can just squash us with a single stroke of his paw, he's in for a really nice surprise."

The lioness approached her opponent slowly and with caution. "Times have changed," she continued. "We're done running. Soon, you'll see how a _true_ lion fights." She then lifted her paw up, showing off her claws and begging the lion to come forward.

"Show me what you've got!" He roared in an attempt of demoralization.

"You know, I've been waiting a long time for this day," the lion added. He continued to step closer to Mari, until the two were nearly breathing on each other.

He made the first move by pushing her back lightly, almost playfully, intimidating the lioness for his own sick pleasure.

As a result, Mari jumped back, flattening her ears even more. She swung her tail around to keep her balance.

"So, you think you're a tough lioness, eh?"

She then swatted across the side of the lion's face, slashing his ear with a furious strike of her claws. As the lion backed away to protect himself, Mari lashed out repeatedly against her opponent, landing several continuous strikes.

The lion jerked away, squinting his eyes at at Mari. This time, it was his turn to retaliate. He leaped forward, and pounced on the unsuspecting lioness with all his strength.

His massive weight nearly crushed Mari's spine.

The lioness gave in, allowing herself to collapse to the ground to alleviate the pain. She used her hind legs to kick the lion rapidly and keep him away.

Seconds later, Mari's defense failed. The attacking lion stepped onto Mari's stomach with only a few minor scratches, forcing her to gasp for air. Shortly afterward, he placed his forepaw around the unfortunate lioness's throat, before pressing her neck to the ground.

"That was too easy!" the lion taunted. "But, since you insisted on being such a feisty one, I'll be sure to give you the slow and painful death you _deserve_."

He allowed the lioness to breathe slightly, only to keep her conscious and aware of her own hopelessness.

Mari began to panic. She was pinned down; she could not fight back. Unless she could make a move, this was the end for her.

The lioness was starting to feel lightheaded as the life drained out of her. She could not stop her eyes from watering as the pressure on her throat gave her an immensely uncomfortable feeling.

Her muscles tensed up. If she was going to survive, she would have to do _something_. She would have to do it quickly, before she only lost even more of her strength from a lack of oxygen.

She tried to roll over, and knock the lion down on either side, but he was too heavy.

The lioness wiggled her hind legs, trying as hard as she could to break free, but she lacked the brute strength.

In a final moment of desperation, an idea sparked in the lioness's mind. Mari wrapped her forepaws around the lion's head, which pulled him in even closer.

The attacker was unsure of how to react. Instinctively, the lion tried to resist, pulling backward.

With her opponent in a state of confusion, Mari broke a hind leg free with a sudden burst of power and jammed it into his unsuspecting groin.

Consequently, the lion backed off, as he roared madly in pain. He leaped rather high into the air, before limping away.

Mari took several deep breaths, trying to inhale as much air as quickly as possible as she continued to lie on her back. At last, her muscles began to relax as she realized she managed to break free. She knew all too well that she was lucky to be alive.

After Mari recovered from her rush of adrenaline, the lioness rolled over and pushed herself up off the grass.

Her opponent was limping across the ground, trying to walk while simultaneously being curled up in the fetal position and screaming in agony.

An enormous wall of fire encroached from behind him. The entire jungle was burning, and the stars of the night sky were completely obscured with a thick black smoke.

Mari walked slowly over to the lion. "You brought this on yourself," she stated dryly.

The lion continued to moan, hiding his face in the burning grass. Whether he could not speak, or did not wish to, the lioness was unsure of. He swung his paws out in random directions as he groaned, trying to hit Mari, but his strikes lacked any significant power.

In a strange, sadistic way, it was rather amusing how the attacker went from having a lion's ego, to being completely and utterly hopeless in a split second. His mouth was far bigger than his pain tolerance. Behind his thick mane, he was nothing but a frightened cub. He could no longer hide the fact that he experienced fear.

It wasn't the first time Mari had seen it happen. As soon as she was old enough to hunt, she learned quickly that strength is only a facade. She had seen many large, confident beasts meet their end, and every time, it was the same story. The bigger they were, the harder they fell.

But, no matter how many times she saw it, a dying lion was never easy to watch. Although it was only a matter of seconds, he had suffered long enough. It was time to terminate his life, she decided.

"Pumzika kwa amani," Mari whispered, as she swiftly sliced her claws across the lion's throat.

She then turned away, gazing into the fire's reflection on the lake. It wasn't the first time she had brought an end to another lion's live, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Yet, every time she still felt a splash of regret as she gave her opponent a quick death.

It was what she had to do. He would have either suffered the excruciating death of being burnt alive, or he would have alerted his friends of Mari's presence. Killing the lion was the best option. It was the only option.

But there was no time to think about it. With the furious orange glow of fire engulfing the jungle, not even the haven was safe anymore. She had to warn the others, although she did mean what she told her attacker.

With Mohatu on her side, the roles of predator and prey could easily be reversed.

With her opponent resting in a pool of his own blood, Mari began running up the path to five rocks, despite the wind and smoke irritating her eyes and lungs. This was a matter of life and death, and she was well aware of that simple fact. Mari knew what was at stake.

Unfortunately, before she could run too far, a smouldering log crashed down before her, bursting into flames. Suddenly, her path to the pride was totally blocked.

With the majority of the jungle on fire, there was no easy way around. Regardless, she would have to find an alternate route. Rendezvousing with her pride was paramount.

In the heat of the moment, the lioness began scouring the jungle hastily for another way around.

* * *

Despite all the excitement going on, Mohatu continued to sleep peacefully, not far away. He felt something warm pressing against his fur, leaving his imagination to fill in the rest with his dreams.

"Mari..." the lion muttered unconsciously. Mohatu rubbed his head against the warm grass on which he laid, as he tried to curl himself around the lioness.

The imaginary feline seemed to have a strange affection towards him, which was thoroughly reflected in her amazingly beautiful eyes. At that very moment, nothing seemed to matter other than the warmth of her fur against the cool night air. And, God, was she warm.

She was _hot_.

Even after several minutes, Mohatu did not dare to move. He was afraid of sullying his shining moment of bliss with the most beautiful creature on four legs.

But still, the heat was excruciating, especially around his tail. Suddenly, the thought of jumping into the river's icy water didn't seem like such an awful idea.

The lion began to cough on the imaginary lioness, as an irritating sensation scratched the back of his throat. His difficulty breathing suddenly brought him into the realm of the real world.

Mohatu jumped up at once, arching his back and extending his claws out of instinct. He looked back at the tuft of his tail, and saw it combust before his very eyes.

Mohatu crammed the burning tuft in his mouth and licked it with his tongue, extinguishing the fire with sticky saliva. He then twitched his face slightly. Unfortunately, he noticed that two of his whiskers had been burnt to a crisp as well.

It was a crazy morning already.

He then shook his body violently from side to side, trying to shake off the crusty layer of sleepiness that held his nerves back. There was no time for that. Mari's pride—his pride—was in danger. This was his chance to be a hero. This would be his finest hour.

The shrub which he slept beside suddenly burst into a fireball, throwing even more cinders far into the sky.

On second thought, his own survival was a little bit more important than being a hero. Not surprisingly, he decided he would have time for that later, but first, he had to make it out alive.

Mohatu ran up to the trunk of a burning tree, before springing from it in a leaping motion to get over a tall wall of fire. It was an impressive, adrenaline-pumping start to any morning, but he still had a long way to go.

That was, if the lion even knew _which_ way to go. Visibility was simply horrendous, and the smoke only added to his feeling of disorientation. No matter which direction Mohatu looked, the lion simply could not find any identifiable landmarks.

He began to pace around at random, hoping to find a tree that he could recognize. The heat soared well beyond excruciating levels, and his breath was running short.

An orange figure emerging form the dust and ashes caught the lion's attention. Almost immediately, he recognized the lioness as Mari, running swiftly through the scattered flames.

"It's good to see you!" Mohatu greeted happily. The intensity of his relief upon seeing her was nearly beyond comprehension.

"No time for that," Mari retorted quickly, stopping only for a second. "Rex must have found us out here, and we're cut off from the rest of the pride."

"Is there a way around?"

"I'm not sure... just stick with me," the lioness commanded, taking complete control over the situation.

Mohatu followed as Mari hustled through the ashes. He kept his eyes focused on the path ahead, while his surroundings warped into a bright, luminous blur of orange and gray.

Mari stepped off to the side, suddenly slowing down to a more comfortable pace. She then glanced over at the brown lion beside her. "You see that?"

A surprisingly large clearing stood before the two lions. Thick plumes of smoke covered the entire horizon, but this spot was a lush green under the shadow of the night. It had not been burned.

"I don't see anyth-"

"Look harder," Mari interrupted.

Mohatu struggled to concentrate as the crackling sounds of fire scattered his mind. The smoke blurred his vision, which also deeply irritated the lion. He rubbed the gunk out of his eyes, trying to bring the trees ahead into focus.

"Wait a minute..." muttered Mohatu. He caught a glimpse of something moving back and fourth. It was long, slender, and orange. The tip seemed a bit bigger and darker, while the entire figure shifted positions in a whipping motion.

It was a lion's tail.

"Oh... I see it."

"I wonder how many of them there are," Mari replied. "If it's just a few, we should be able to take them..."

A wide smirk formed across the lion's muzzle. "Y'know... forget that!" he exclaimed quietly.

The lion used his claws to cut off an enormous branch from a tree. As it fell into the soil, Mohatu picked the shrub up by the end with his mouth.

"Uh... huh? What are you doing?" Mari asked.

Mohatu attempted to speak with the big end of the stick clenched between his teeth. "Ir ar ther firr Gerd!" he claimed playfully, which translated roughly to 'I am the fire God!'

The lion leaned his head down, dragging the shrub across a patch of burning grass. Within seconds, the fire spread to his new weapon as well.

"Interesting..." the lioness murmured. "So, what, are you just going to burn them alive?"

Mohatu shrugged, before running directly towards the lion he saw at full speed.

He then realized that perhaps the idea wasn't as good as he originally intended. The smoke blew in his face, and his vision was reduced from abysmal to null. Still, it did not manage to stop him from being a brave, fearless idiot, running happily into the face of danger in the name of Mari.

After hearing the thunder of Mohatu's heavy paws approaching, the ignorant lion glanced backward. His eyes met a wall of fire nearly as big as himself. He had no time to run.

The shrub Mohatu carried contained several branches at the other end, which glowed a deep red from the heat. Each pointed tip burned its way into the unfortunate lion's fur as he yelped aloud in pain.

Mohatu then slung the shrub away, into the tree which the lion hid behind. Intentionally, he brought the inferno to the designated burn-free zone as well.

"You're going to regret coming out here, _punk_," Mohatu taunted, as his booming, masculine voice roared across the jungle.

The burning lion backed away, before trying to lick his scorched wounds from a safe distance. Two of his buddies approached Mohatu from the side. As Mari approached Mohatu from behind, it was two on two**—**hardly a fair fight.

The four lions circled one another with a heavy guard up, somewhat resembling a deadly game of chess.

Mohatu, however, had other ideas. His eyes met a large vine, which hung from the enormous tree he burned in the background of his focus.

With the intention of impressing Mari with his tactical genius, Mohatu ran hastily over to the vine. He looked back to see the two opposing lions following him.

To his surprise, Mohatu's opponents were less experienced than he originally thought. They were running right into a trap.

The lion grabbed the vine with his mouth as he ran past it. He held on with his powerful jaws, and began to swing up in an arc. As gravity countered Mohatu's momentum, the lion swung back, kicking one of his opponents with enough energy to send the big cat tumbling backwards into a wall of flames.

Subsequently, Mohatu let go of the vine, dropping back onto the ground.

With the other lion in shock, Mari managed to place a few precision strikes of her own around his neck. Seconds later, all three of their opponents were knocked out.

Mari sighed heavily, leaning down to bite the throat of her opponent. She was going in for the kill.

For a brief moment, Mohatu's face reflected a slight expression of disbelief. It surprised him that she actually went farther than she needed to, given what she had said the day before. However, as the lion's jaw opened slowly, he could not bring himself to ask her about it.

He knew why she killed the lion that fell to the ground below her. It was war. He had been defeated. He deserved a warrior's death. It was a strange concept, but it felt all too familiar to him.

"Pumzika kwa amani," Mari whispered.

"What's that mean?" the lion asked, as his thoughts somehow slipped out of his mouth.

"It means 'rest in peace.'"

Mohatu shifted his focus back to the lion he killed, whispering those same words. "Pumzika kwa amani."

"It's not over yet," Mari replied, lifting herself back up. She began to walk further through the jungle, while eying Mohatu earnestly. "We've got a pride to rescue."

"Actually, I've got a better idea," Mohatu followed, just before suggesting a different approach.

"What are you thinking?" Mari asked.

"If those three lions were waiting out here, their leader must not be too far away. If we can take him out, their entire attack will be left in shambles," Mohatu explained decisively. "We'll hit them where it hurts."

"But what about our pride?" Mari asked. "We can't leave them out to die."

"Are you sure?" Mohatu inquired. "What would they want us to do?"

"No, no, no," argued the lioness, immediately rejecting the mere thought of his idea. "You don't understand. It's not like that. It's more important that we _all_ live to fight another day."

The lion stared into the intense jungle flames as he pondered Mari's words. "It was just a suggestion..." he muttered quietly.

"And not a bad one," Mari added. "But this is a matter of priorities. We'll search for their leader after our pride is safe."

"Fine," Mohatu agreed. "Let's just go. We're wasting time."

* * *

Irena's eyes jolted open as the sound of pawsteps grew louder at an alarming rate. Her eyes were greeted with an enormous black cloud of smoke and ashes.

"Wuh... HOLY SH-"

"The jungle's on fire!" Busar yelled hastily, despite having shallow lungs. After running all the way from Five Rocks, he was nearly out of breath. "Grab the cub. We need to get outta here."

"Wh- which way do we go?" Irena asked nervously. "And where are the others?"

"We're going to rendezvous at Five Rocks. From there, we can cross the chasm and we should be safe by the river valley."

Irena grabbed the fearful cub Uru in her mouth, before nodding for Busar to lead the way. Neither of the lions wasted a single moment in the process.

As Irena glanced beside her, she noticed the shadows of Narisah and Karttiki as well. They were safe, at least, but Mari and Mohatu were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, Busar crashed to the ground behind a cloud of dust. Several roars broke through the smoke, as an entire group of attacking lions appeared in every direction that wasn't on fire.

A small battle erupted at their position. Busar, Narisah, and Karttiki formed a line, trying desperately to keep Irena's cub safe behind them against a seemingly endless series of brutal attacks by several aggressive lions.

"Where the _hell_ are Mari and Mohatu?" Busar asked, before driving his teeth into the guts of one of the lion that had pounced on him. He quickly finished off one opponent, but many more remained, eager to join the fray.

Irena placed her cub gently on the ground, and ran towards the other three lions to join the fight. She picked an opponent at random, and, without warning, began lashing out successive helpings of whoopass.

Conversely, Narisah backed away, as two additional lions approached her. "You're doing good, just need to do that fifty more times," she replied in exaggeration.

All the lionesses were occupied with opponents of their own, and thus unable to offer any assistance.

Busar's mate continued to step backward, until she felt Uru's tail pressing against her hind leg. It was the end of the rope for her, and the end of the proverbial rope was literally on fire. "Someone get over here!" she yelled. "I need help!"

The male lion leaped to the side, lunging toward one of Narisah's attackers. In the corner of his eye, he watched the other lash out continuous strikes at his mate.

Narisah closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain as her body crashed to the ground in defeat. She had little energy remaining to move, much less fight back against several opponents.

As the lioness's body began to rest, her senses became magnified. Amongst the sounds of crackling wood and roars of fighting lions, she sensed something else.

As time passed slowly, the feeling drew nearer. There were more lions approaching. Narisah did not know whether or not they were friendly, but she could only hope.

Eventually, a familiar voice sounded from behind her attackers.

"Let them go."

Even in their scattered states of mind, the sound was loud and clear. All the leonine warriors suddenly stopped fighting. Their eyes shifted to Mohatu at once, who stood boldly in front of a scorched tree.

"And just who might you be? The king of the Pridelands?" one of the attackers asked sarcastically, amazed by the fact that a single lion had the nerve to be so bodacious.

"It doesn't matter who I am," Mohatu retorted. "I said _let them go_."

"You think I'm scared of _you_?" the lion asked, approaching Mohatu with an equally bold, aggressive stance.

As the attacker came nearer, Mohatu swiped him away with a simple stroke of his paw. The other lions were amazed that Mohatu did not even bat an eye.

"You should be," Mohatu replied with an odd quality of both arrogance and wisdom in his voice. After fighting the first few lions, he was building a shell of confidence in his abilities as a warrior.

The remaining four attacking lions approached Mohatu at once. It became apparent that they would need to work together to fight him. He was big, tough, and fearless on the outside. He would be difficult to kill; even a brainless lion could have realized that blatant fact.

Mohatu stepped back, luring the lions under a specific tree branch. When the moment was right, a heavy, orange mass crashed down on one of the assailants. The opposing lion's skull cracked beneath Mari's paws, as the lioness leaped down on him like a concrete bomb.

In the moments that followed, the remaining three adversaries found themselves sandwiched between Mohatu and Mari on one side, and the older lions, save Narisah, on the other.

Busar brought one of the attackers to the ground by biting into his flank. As the lion squirmed around to protect himself, Mari slashed violently across his head. His blood began to spill onto the ashes.

Mohatu effortlessly pinned the other hostile down after a quick skirmish, and crushed the unfortunate feline beneath his paws.

The remaining lioness lowered herself to the ground in submission. She rolled over on her back, placing her paws in the air with her claws retracted, begging to be shown mercy. "I... I'm not like them! I'm Riza**—**I'm just a huntress."

Karttiki glared at the lioness angrily, but refused to attack. "You made your choice, and now you will live with the consequences."

"Please! Don't hurt me!" the lioness pleaded.

Riza's cries gained Mohatu's interest. He walked over beside the lioness, knowing she should not be allowed to live, considering what she had done.

Mohatu, however, did not wish to entertain that thought. He quickly adopted an alternate idea. "Why should I let you live after what you've done?"

The lioness began to catch her breath. "Because I... I can tell you what I know. King Rex sent us out here to burn the land and kill anyone we found... I don't know much more than that, honestly! Please! Just let me go!"

"There's more you're not telling me," Mohatu insisted.

"No, there isn't," Riza replied. "Rex doesn't tell us anything. Food is becoming scarce... things are getting rough, yet he keeps insisting that everything will be fine as long as we do what he says."

"And you _believe_ him?" Karttiki asked. "Leo and Rex killed more than half our pride."

"I... I wanted to," Riza muttered sadly.

"Get up," Mohatu commanded, suddenly feeling a strange sympathy for the lioness.

"Does this mean..." Riza began to ask, but struggled to find the proper words. "I... I don't want to die!"

"Relax," Mohatu insisted, as an idea bloomed in the lion's mind. He glanced at Mari for a moment, before looking back at the submissive lioness. "I'm not going to hurt you. We don't believe in killing. It's what separates us from them."

Riza's jaw snapped open. "I... I see. I guess I... I never really..."

Mari tried to hide a smile, as she was pleased by the fact that Mohatu had made the right decision. She refused to speak, instead letting Mohatu handle the situation.

Mohatu grinned slightly, knowing that he did the right thing. He could sense the truth in the lioness's words as the realization dawned on her. She had been shown the light.

"I can still make things right," Riza pleaded. "There's a lion named Usama; he's the one that led the attack. He was checking out a cave to the South before he told us to move up here."

Mari gulped, realizing the lioness was referring to _that_ cave. Usama had the artifact. He had what he was looking for.

"Let's hope I find him before you do," Mohatu retorted, motioning for his pride to follow.

"Be careful," Riza added. "Just a fair warning... Usama is one of the king's knights. He's very cunning, and very brutal..."

Mohatu seemed undaunted by her warning, but remained cautious. "Thanks for the heads-up," he replied respectfully.

Meanwhile, the fire began to burn off, leaving enormous piles of ashes surrounding the pride. As the lion left the plateau with Mari and Karttiki following, three words echoed across the scorched jungle mountains behind him. "Pumzika kwa amani."

A surprisingly dim light began to emerge from the horizon on the East, while Mohatu glanced over at the orange lioness beside him. The night was over. The sun was rising. Now, it was time for vengeance.

* * *

A/N: I kinda regret having this chapter so far back in the story, because I really wanted to get to the actual fighting sooner before it got too boring. But, that being said, I tried to make it well worth the wait.

This is only the beginning... :)


	7. A Matter of Pride

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 7: A Matter of Pride  
**

Narisah's eyes peeked open slowly, as the light of dawn momentarily pushed her pain aside. The lioness groaned, eventually rising to her paws despite having two dislodged limbs.

Busar placed his paw over his mate's shoulder, pushing her back down gently. "No... you're hurt. Stay here with the cub," the lion insisted. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I-I'll be fine," the lioness stuttered, laying back down on the gravel against her will. For better or worse, she did not realize the severity of her injuries.

As she relieved her paws from the pressure of supporting her weight, a loud, cracking noise sounded from one of her joints. Consequently, Narisah screamed in terrifying agony. "AHHH! It-it's worse than I thought! I... AHH!"

Busar's ears twitched at the high-pitched cacophony. Seconds later, his mate calmed slightly as he abruptly licked her under her closed eyes with affection.

"I love you," he whispered. It was all he could do.

With his mate purring slightly, Busar reluctantly stepped away to help the other lions. Unfortunately, securing Algenubi's artifact and killing Usama were the greater priorities.

Riza, the foreign lioness, turned away. She felt somewhat uncomfortable after seeing what her pride had done to the unfortunate feline, and her expression matched her feelings perfectly. She walked away, pacing around and inspecting the damage to each dead tree, only to give herself something to occupy her mind.

Meanwhile, Irena watched as her cub stepped over to the injured lioness.

Being as young as she was, Uru recovered quickly from the immense fear she had experienced just moments before. In an act of sentimental concern, she then began kneading behind Narisah's ear.

"I'll stay here," Irena mewed. Seconds later, she laid down beside her injured companion in an attempt to comfort the dying lioness.

Uru continued pawing at Narisah. "Aren't you going to get up?" she asked. The innocence of the cub's words caused her mother to shiver.

Narisah breathed heavily, but spoke with a soft, lethargic voice. "I... shouldn't... it hurts."

The lioness saw Busar's shape diminish beyond the horizon as he followed Mohatu's path to the cave. It was not long before Narisah lost sight of her mate through the dense cloud of dust and smoke.

Suddenly, Uru appeared in her immediate vision to fill the void. The cub leaned against one of Narisah's paws, curling up into the shape of a near-perfect sphere. The older lioness continued to purr quietly, stroking the cub's head with her other paw.

It had been many years since she looked after her own cubs, but she would never forget the many pleasures of being a mother.

* * *

"Stop!" Mohatu whispered. "I think I see them."

The coffee-colored lion placed his paws over a jagged granite boulder that was covered in ashes. As he looked down into the valley below him, he observed three lions carefully.

"I can go down and distract them," he suggested. "If things start to get ugly, back me up."

"I'm coming with you," Mari insisted.

Mohatu beamed deviously at the lioness beside him. "Sounds good to me."

"You two! Shh!" Karttiki whispered angrily. "Listen!"

Both Mohatu and Mari twitched backward for a split second, before remaining totally still. The voices of the lions below pierced through the silence of dawn.

"No... tell Rex they found it first. It's very important."

"Are you sure? What makes you so certain?"

"It was sitting _right here_! Those fools must have found it. Fortunately, I don't think they have any idea what this is..."

"Yeah, I guess... but what is it?"

"That's classified information."

"But I just want to know! You make it seem _so important_!"

"It's none of your business! You are under my command. You follow my orders, and that is all. Is that clear?"

"Ah, yes, Usama. I... ugh... meant no disrespect."

"The next time you question my orders, I will kill you _personally_."

"I understand... I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apologies, you pathetic sack of crap! Just act like the _lion_ you're supposed to be, dammit! Now go on!"

Karttiki interjected with a quiet but bitter tone. "I think I've heard enough. It's no wonder they haven't killed us yet... they're too busy threatening each other."

"Seems like it," Mari added.

"Either way, I guess we're not going to hear anything important," her mother replied, sounding rather disappointed. Karttiki then faced Mohatu and nodded. "Now's the time."

As Usama lowered his head to the ground to pick up the key of Algenubi in his mouth, a loud boom shook the ground below his heavy paws. The trio of lions jumped down from the hill behind him.

"Put it down," Mohatu demanded simply.

Usama turned his back around and flattened his ears. As his eyes met Mohatu, the artifact he carried in his mouth flew out and fell into a pile of ashes. "_WHAT_?"

"There, that's better," Mohatu scowled as he approached his opponent cautiously.

With a sudden, unexpected burst of energy, the lion slashed Mohatu across his face with fury. "You freaking IDIOT!"

Mohatu roared, raising his left forepaw to block the strike. Unfortunately, his quick reflexes only managed to soften the blow to his skull, not prevent it. The lion was left feeling slightly dazed, and backed away cautiously.

"..._nobody_ tells me what to do!" Usama roared, before pouncing onto Mohatu with his teeth and claws exposed.

Mohatu retracted the weight from his forepaws. For a split second, he managed to balance on his hind legs, until the two beasts clashed in midair. Both lions leaned forward, pressing against one another with all their strength.

The two were evenly matched, as neither was able to gain a distinct advantage. The roars of their epic struggle could be heard throughout the scorched jungle, and echoed loudly across the riverside mountains.

Mohatu shifted to his right, and allowed his opponent to push him back. It was a risky move, but it had the potential to give him an instant kill if he could align himself properly.

Consequently, the other lion fell forward. As Usama's forepaws crashed down on the ground beside Mohatu, the former combatant realized his mistake.

For a single moment, Usama's jugular vein was exposed to Mohatu's jaw. He had no way to protect himself. If Mohatu was fast enough to make the strike, the kill would be his.

Mohatu bit down, hoping for nothing less than to hit the critical area. Before he could sink his incisors deep into his opponents neck, Usama began to thrash about violently.

Usama was too strong. It was apparent that he simply had too much energy. The opponent was even able to swat his forepaw around, and knock Mohatu violently onto his back.

The lion spent the second afterward gathering his balance back on his paws, trying desperately to minimize his sudden disadvantage. While Usama possessed the lion's share in terms of speed, Mohatu discovered he held a small edge of his own.

Despite the fact that his eyes were closed for an instant, he was able to predict his attacker's movements with a near-terrifying degree of accuracy.

As the lion expected, his opponent seized the opportunity to strike again with a powerful grappling attack. Mohatu watched intently as the large lion lunged toward him.

Out of mere instinct, Mohatu jumped to the side to evade, before kicking his attacker off balance with a strike of his own.

A sudden realization dawned on the victorious lion, as he eyes followed Usama's fall to the ground. His muscles instinctively knew how to react in the heat of battle. It was as if he had trained his whole life to be a warrior—the art of combat seemed strangely familiar, to say the least.

He inched toward the fallen lion slowly, keeping his guard up and his wits on edge. As Usama tried to get up, Mohatu fixed his eyes on the leader's jugular once again.

A surge of adrenaline flowed through Mohatu's forepaws, and with a single strike, the lion ravaged through the upper body his opponent. His left paw shredded into Usama's shoulder, while his right paw gouged the victim's eyes. Of course, this was while his teeth punctured deep into the lion's protective mane, which began to absorb a significant amount of blood that would have gone to Usama's head.

Suddenly, the lion ceased to resist. Usama's body collapsed to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Usama the lion was dead. As a direct result, the attack on Mohatu's pride lost all hope.

Realizing that he had been breathing far too heavily, Mohatu let out a sigh of relief. He took a step back from the carcass, before glancing across the black valley.

Mohatu shifted his focus to the other four lions fighting around him. Mari and Karttiki were holding their own against the other two adversaries, but as their leader fell to the ground, it was more than evident that the tide of the battle had changed.

Both of Usama's minions stared at Mohatu with puzzled expressions of awe and disbelief. They seemed to lose the ability to adequately defend themselves.

The blood of Mohatu's opponents spilled in the moments that followed. Even without his help, it was an utter massacre.

Of all weapons, none have more potential than the mind.

* * *

As Busar nearly reached the cave, a deafening roar penetrated through the thick, smoky atmosphere. The clamorous rumbling sound managed to shake even the mountains themselves.

The old lion stopped walking. He twisted his head around, only to glance at his long, morning shadow.

A second, continuous roar boomed across the valley of the cave. It was not a call for help, nor was it a cry of pain. It was Mohatu's blissful declaration of _victory_.

Not to Busar's surprise, his pride had won the day. The lion gazed into the rising sun, which hung visibly above the bleak, mountainous horizon. Despite the destruction that was brought to the jungle, a small glimmer of hope was literally rising from the ashes.

The roars continued to echo without end, spreading through every adjacent chasm and valley. The sound only grew louder, until it was nearly loud enough to travel all the way to the Pridelands.

Finally caving in to the primitive instincts of a lion, Busar inhaled heavily, before adding his own voice to the harmonious thunder. For the first time in years, the hearts of each feline in the jungle were filled with a brief but beatific sense of _pride_.

Before the roars terminated into a void of silence, the flame of the last burning log fizzled out. Glaring beyond it, Busar noticed the blood-soaked bodies of three lions.

"Maybe Rex will think twice before attacking like _that_ again." Mari thought aloud, throwing her paw into the air. It was unlike her to make such a comment, but the euphoria of actually winning a fight lifted her spirits through the sky and beyond.

Mohatu slapped Mari's paw with his own, grinning widely as he gave her a high-five. "Y'hear that, Rex? THIS IS OUR JUNGLE!"

Busar stepped closer, until Mohatu, Mari, and Karttiki noticed his presence.

"We actually did it," Mari nodded, carrying a heavy smirk. "Usama is dead, and we've got the key!"

Busar sighed, before lowering his head and tail to the ground.

"Ugh... is something wrong?" Mari inquired suddenly. Her ears twitched slightly as the lioness's tail shifted to mirror Busar's.

As he answered the lioness's question, his voice began to fall apart. "Narisah is hurt, and we're going to have to find somewhere else to go."

Within an instant, Mari's eyes shot open. "Oh... well... how bad is it?"

"I think we're going to have to leave her behind," the old lion stated wistfully.

"What? No! We can't..." Mari retorted, with a distinct tone of animosity towards the idea.

Karttiki gulped, but otherwise kept quiet.

The other lion was far more decisive. "Don't worry, we'll think of something," Mohatu added convincingly.

He then looked behind his tail, taking note of the three dead bodies. "Should we throw the carcasses in the river?" he asked. "They might wash up somewhere else, and Rex won't be able to figure out where the battle was."

Mari's mother rejected the idea. "I... don't think that's going to work. There were too many of them. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one escaped... and besides, with the trees gone, there's nowhere to hide. We're sitting ducks."

The old lioness paused for a moment before continuing. "Not to mention that Rex is probably going to figure out what we did anyway. We can't just fool _him_ like that."

Busar added his thoughts as well. "We can't risk it. We're going to have to move North, into the Outlands now. There's a few deserted spires we can hide in, and plenty of termites to eat."

Mohatu quivered in disgust at the thought. His pride was such a nutty bunch. Termites? Did he really hear Busar say that? It seemed about as appetizing as eating regurgitated manure.

"Well..." Mari raised a paw, breaking the silence with another suggestion. "What if we move West to Bangweulu island, instead? It would be farther away from the Pridelands, and certainly farther from Rex's territory."

"Heh..." Busar scowled. "No."

The other lion shook his head. "What's wrong with Bangweulu island?" Mohatu asked curiously.

"There's a pride of nipheads there," Mari retorted. "But, when it comes down to nipheads or termites... I'll go with nipheads."

"Uhh... nipheads?"

"They're a bunch of hopeless, scummy lowlifes," Karttiki interjected with a deep grimace. "They're despicable, really."

"They're catnip addicts," Busar explained.

Mohatu tried to force a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Would his pride really rather live in a termite mound, than with a few drugged cats?

In fact, life on an island didn't sound all that bad of an idea to him. "Y'know, I think we all deserve some catnip after a night like _that,_" he chuckled lightly.

"Wait, you're kidding, right?" Karttiki asked. "That stuff is dangerous. You know, in large doses, it can erase all your memories and wipe away your entire identity. A little more exposure than that, and it kills even the toughest of lions."

"Relax, it was just a joke," Mohatu replied, seeing that Karttiki had interpreted his statement a bit too literally.

Meanwhile, Mari began pacing forward slowly, looking away only for a split second. "Come on," she sighed. "We need to figure out what we're going to do. Narisah needs our help."

"Okay, okay... but you said Bangweulu is an_ island_?" Mohatu asked, beginning to follow the other three lions back to Five Rocks.

"Yeah, that's the only problem," Mari responded. "I mean, it's good if we can get across it, but that in itself is a bit of a challenge."

"How hard could it be?" the lion asked with a striking amount of ignorance.

"It's not rough or deep water," Karttiki explained. "It's the crocodiles you have to watch out for."

"Hmm... well, what if we used one of these charred logs to float across?" the brown lion suggested.

"That's not going to help," the old lioness insisted. "It's just a bad idea, no matter what."

Mari looked up to her mother. "Outlands it is, then?"

"Yeah..."

"Damn," Mohatu hissed under his tongue. The jungle was bad enough, but a termite infested motel? Ridiculous! Preposterous! It was absurd, if not asinine. On second thought, asinine only began to scratch the surface of the stupidity of that idea.

"Busar is right," Karttiki admitted. "It's our best option."

"Alright, alright... fine," Mohatu agreed, though his only intention was to end the conversation temporarily.

* * *

After the lions had ascended up several rocks, the remaining three felines could be seen through a thinning cloud of smoke and ash. Of course, they had heard the roars of Mohatu's success, but they were unaware of the plans for the next stage.

Irena was the first to greet the four.

The lioness swept a burnt twig away with her paw, before closing her eyes and dropping her tail. "She's got a nasty fracture in her left front paw, and her left hindleg looks mutilated as well," Irena told them. "There's no way she's going to be able to move without help..."

A jolting chill flowed under Mohatu's skin at the despair of the lioness's voice. He struggled to find his words. "That's... pretty bad..."

"We're going to have to leave her behind," Busar sighed in anguish. "There's only so much we can do."

Mari's eyes began to reflect the sunlight as they filled with water. "Of all the deaths we've seen... and to think, it just doesn't ever end."

Busar walked over to his mate, while Karttiki placed her paw on Mari's shoulder. Mohatu merely stood still, gazing into the charred mountains as he thought.

"What are we going to do?" Mari asked. "Are we really just going to leave her behind to die?"

The lioness's mother seemed to understand the necessity of the idea. "We need to leave. If we stay here, we'll be putting our lives in danger as well. It's for the best."

"There's gotta be a better way," Mohatu mumbled. The sheer hopelessness of the situation was beginning to drive him nuts. He had killed many opposing lions to protect his new pride, but he was worthless when it came to healing.

In essence, taking a life was easy. Yet, protecting one was a different matter entirely.

"I'm afraid there isn't," Mari said, almost at the point of crying. "You can't carry her to the Outlands, it's too far. And even then... what would she do once she's there? It's over..."

Ironically, Mari's perplexed state of mind was bothering Mohatu nearly as much. For a brief moment, he considered defying her and saying that he could help, but the golden-orange lioness had a point. Without the ability to walk, Narisah would surely die within a matter of days, regardless. That much was inevitable.

Mari turned away, then followed her head with a step of her paws. She began walking away from the pride, dragging a smooth line in the ashes with the end of her tail. "I'm tired... I can't do this right now," she groaned with an unusually high-pitched voice on the verge of tears.

Ironically, what bothered her the most was that she, herself, was responsible for the deaths of several adversaries. As heartbreaking as it was to have to leave a pride member behind, in the back of her mind, she knew her actions may have had the same effect on the families and friends of the attackers she claimed as her kills.

The lioness sat behind a rock, burying her face deep into her paws to hide from the grim reality. She couldn't even bear to look at Narisah's injuries or speak to her pride.

As her adrenaline rush faded away, she realized she was pathetic. The thought only repeated itself, exacerbating the situation even further.

She had fought gallantly, but it wasn't good enough. She knew her pride was in danger, but despite that obvious fact, the brutal reality of the situation had not occurred to her. Mari knew her pride was playing a risky move by fighting back against the kingdom, but she had forgotten just how risky it actually was.

That wasn't the way it played out in her mind. Mohatu was supposed to turn the tide of the war. The previous battle was supposed to be his battle to win. What good was a victory, if her pride did not survive to celebrate?

It was all completely meaningless. Mohatu only created a false sense of hope.

The same, continuous loathing thoughts filled the lioness's mind well beyond her breaking point. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, while she was almost entirely secluded in her sorrows from the rest of her pride.

* * *

Mohatu thought about following Mari away, but questioned whether or not his presence would be welcomed. Before he could decide, Karttiki began speaking to him.

"You should get some rest too," she suggested. "Tonight might be a good night to sneak past the Pridelands... provided that Mari is up to it."

"Huh?" Mohatu paused. "But weren't we going to wait for a storm?"

"That would be preferable, yes, but I think security is going to be pretty low tonight."

"What, because of the attack?"

"Possibly. But I was actually thinking Riza might be of some assistance."

Mohatu frowned initially at the idea. Bringing along a third lion would only take away from his dream of spending time with Mari.

To be honest, the entire idea almost seemed too good to be true, from the lion's simple point of view. Going on a secret mission, looking for some ancient crap, trying to kill some evil king, all with a pretty lioness that probably liked him—how much better could it possibly get than that?

It seemed like a sort of epic fantasy. There had to be a catch. _This_ was that catch.

"Well, it would help, I guess..." Mohatu admitted.

The lioness continued to elaborate on her idea. "Riza probably knows those lands better than we do now. She should have no problem being able to get around the patrols, and especially at night... which means there isn't any sort of need to wait for a thunderstorm."

As Karttiki lectured at him, Mohatu caught a glimpse of the very lioness approaching in the corner of Mohatu's eye.

She heard her name and stepped closer. "Ugh... what were you saying?" Riza tried to grab Karttiki's attention.

"We have a very _special_ job for you, if you're interested," the lioness began. "Do you know what it is Usama found in the cave?"

Riza shook her head. "No."

"Well, neither do we." Karttiki answered easily. "But we need to know."

"Uh-huh."

"The answers are probably buried somewhere in the Badlands." The lioness gestured towards Mohatu, before continuing. "Mohatu, here, has volunteered to sneak through the Pridelands to figure out what it is, along with a lioness named Mari. It would help out a lot of you went with them."

"I see," Riza replied nonchalantly.

"Have you ever heard of Lea Halalela?" Karttiki asked.

The other lioness sat still for a moment. "Lea Halalela?"

"You know?"

"Can't say I do," Riza clarified. "I know I've heard of it before, but I don't know what it is."

Despite not getting a definite answer, Karttiki proceeded to ask another question. "Well then, have you ever been to the Badlands?"

"A few times," the lioness replied. "Nothing but sand there, mostly."

"Actually, it doesn't matter," Karttiki corrected herself. "We're going to need all the help we can get, regardless. Are you in?"

The lioness pondered the proposition for a moment, before reluctantly accepting the offer. "I'll do it."

She then looked at Mohatu wearily. "I guess I owe you something, huh..."

Mohatu placed his paw gently above Riza's. "No... it's fine. You don't owe me _anything_."

As Karttiki nodded and began to walk away, Riza rubbed the top of her head under Mohatu's thick, dark mane. "Well, I appreciate what you did today," she admitted. "I thought I was going to die..."

Mohatu backed away out of surprise at first, but later accepted the lioness's embrace. "I was just doing what was right."

Riza looked upon him with glassy eyes. "I'm not going to forget that. We need more lions like you."

"Ugh... thanks," Mohatu replied humbly. "But, really. It was nothing." He then stretched his front paws out, and leaned back into a depression in the ashes.

"So... I guess we're leaving tonight," Mohatu muttered, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Fine by me," Riza said, backing away slightly. "No sense in sticking around here anymore."

The tawny lioness yawned before making herself comfortable on the ground, a respectful distance away from the lion. Obviously, Mohatu and Mari weren't the only lions that had spent most of the night awake.

"Besides, I could use a good nap anyway," she purred, closing her eyes happily.

* * *

The remaining lions gathered mournfully around Narisah, just before she politely shooed them away.

"Could you... give us a few minutes?" the dying lioness asked heavily.

Busar nuzzled the back of his mate's head, while Irena picked up her cub and began to follow the other lionesses away, in accordance with Narisah's wishes.

"Busar..." she whispered slowly. "You need to get out of here."

A single tear fell from the old lion's eye, creating a damp spot on the lioness's shoulder. Intense emotions of sorrow flooded his heart, which prevented him from speaking as time continued to lapse afterward.

"Remember when we first met on the savannah, eight years ago?"

Busar closed his eyes. It was too painful for him to recall, but he could not remove the thoughts from his mind. "Yeah..." he answered softly with a sniff that was louder than his actual voice. "That was one of the best days of my life."

"We were so young," Narisah thought aloud.

"And so happy..." Busar added.

"Yeah," the pale lioness agreed. "I knew it would have to end someday..." she continued, beginning to drop tears as well.

Narisah then exerted herself to lean forward, pushing her nose directly against Busar's muzzle. Naturally, he returned a kiss, just as they had done many years before.

"But at least I get to say goodbye," the lioness added, after pulling away seconds later.

"No!" Busar squalled, rubbing his head into the lioness's fur. "I'm going to miss you so much."

Narisah wrapped her good paw around the lion's mane. "It's okay," she reassured her mate.

"You can't just-"

"Busar," she interrupted. "I may not always be with you, but I will always love you."

The lion nudged his head between Narisah's paws, while she rested her muzzle above his ears. Her gentle breathing pushed Busar's manefur back and forth across his head.

Nothing held either of the two from displaying their true feelings. It was their last moment together, and that thought was all that occupied their minds.

"I love you too," Busar replied.

* * *

A/N: It kinda bothers me how everything in this chapter seems to skip around a bit, but I'm not sure how else to do it. There's sorta a lot of things going on at once, and the next chapter will basically be the same way.

Either way, it would be nice to hear some opinions on how the story is going so far. Creativity doesn't just spawn out of thin air. Not always, at least. :P

And, one last thing: I'm going to _try_ to start updating this a bit more regularly from here on out. My goal is to be able to post a new chapter every week. That may or may not actually happen.


	8. The Start of a Journey

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 8: The Start of a Journey  
**

A gentle breeze pushed lightly against Karttiki's fur, as she gazed across the smoky horizon. For as far as she could see, not a single piece of vegetation had survived the inferno. The entire valley was charred.

As her eyes wandered down to the river, even farther below, she noticed something frightening: the cave that held Algenubi's tomb was no longer hidden.

It was left wide open, suddenly exposed to the harsh elements of nature, and in plain sight of any creature to wander near it. Prior to the burn, the many dense trees had shielded it from view, but this was no longer the case. The gaping hole in the valley now stood out even more than the lions, with their bright and tawny coats of fur.

It became obvious that the fire had another purpose. It was not just a scare tactic, or some crazy method to flush any trace of the pride away from Pride Rock forever. Rex's intention was to reveal what was truly inside the jungle.

A thorough search of the jungle would have taken the king months, but a search of the charred land could be completed in a fraction of that time. If that was his plan to begin with, it was pure genius.

Provided that Karttiki's realizations were true, it would mean an eventual encounter with the king himself, if her pride intended on staying in the jungle. While that was partially inevitable anyway, it still wasn't the happiest thought.

In all reality, if Rex was willing to destroy an _entire _ecosystem to reveal a simple key, there was little any lion could do to stop him.

That artifact was much more than a big hunk of shiny, reflective metals. In truth, she was only beginning to fathom the magnitude of its importance. It was something that Leo and Rex had figured out many moons ago, and they more than likely wanted to keep its significance a secret.

Despite her realizations, the lioness continued walking away from her pride. She was not passing by the cave simply for the sake of sightseeing.

Other, much heavier thoughts occupied Karttiki's mind. Narisah was approaching death, and her daughter was about to undertake the most dangerous mission she could imagine.

The following months would not be easy for any of the lions, but it was what was necessary. That had been decided long ago.

As she walked closer to the riverbed, the lioness spotted a small, green shrub with jagged leaves. While nearly every plant had been burned to the ground, the soil near the water was far too moist to combust. The small green plant was precisely what she came for.

It was catnip.

Karttiki used her claw to cut off a few leaves from the main stem of the rest of the plant. At the same time, she held her breath, trying not to inhale the strong scent that would cause her mind to go berserk with pleasure for several minutes.

The stem that held the leaves was gripped carefully between the lioness's pawtoes. Karttiki balanced on her other three limbs, while she held the plant with a slight wind at her back. Cautiously, she began walking back to Five Rocks, carrying the delicate bunch of leaves with her.

If she was going to leave Narisah behind to die, she was also going to make sure that the lioness spent her final moments in peace.

After all, Narisah deserved nothing less.

* * *

Mohatu's eyes split open at a snail's pace, gradually allowing the light of midday to fill his vision. Although he had slept through several morning hours, the aforementioned light was hardly any brighter than a full moon.

Everything he saw was a bleak shade of gray. The strong, smoky scent of burnt vegetation was actually somewhat refreshing, but it was certainly not a worthy trade for a bright, sunny day.

In a strange way, it was nearly a perfect reflection of the bittersweet situation he faced. While the lion had his first taste of victory, he could hardly consider it as such. In truth, he failed. His home was reduced to ashes, and one of his own was on the verge of death.

Before his eyes snapped open fully, the lion's thoughts switched to the topic of Mari. He suspected she felt the same way about the situation, but she seemed to be taking the news much harder.

Perhaps it was because the two would be leaving their pride behind in search of Lea Halalela. Despite the fact that the adventure seemed like something to look forward to from Mohatu's point of view, the lioness may have had an entirely different outlook.

Regardless, she was apparently under a significant amount of stress. It was not difficult for him to imagine why she ran off like she did hours ago.

His first instinct was to find and comfort the lioness, but it did not take long for him to realize that he had absolutely no idea where she had gone, and much less of an idea what he would say if he found her. Yet, it did not stop him from attempting to look.

After finally deciding it was time to get up, the lion's paw stretched across the ashes, inadvertently bumping into Riza's stomach in the process.

As a result, the lioness beside him moaned as she rubbed a paw across her sleepy eyes. "Uuuugh… what time is it?" she asked drearily.

"No idea," Mohatu replied. "I can't even see the sun."

As the brown lion stretched his hind legs out behind him, his ears picked up on a slight rumble far off in the distance. "Did you hear that?"

"Sounds like thunder," Riza answered. "Which means it's probably _earlier_ than you think it is."

"Yeah, well, if that's the case," Mohatu insisted, "we should really get moving."

Riza groaned, kneading at the dirt and ashes below her forepaws. "Why is that?"

"If it's about to rain, that will wash away our scent after we get through the Pridelands. We'll be virtually invisible."

"Okay, okay…" Riza acknowledged. The lioness rolled onto her back, and buried her head comfortably into a groove she made in the sand. "Just let me sleep for a few more minutes."

Meanwhile, Mohatu used his forepaw to wipe away a layer of dust that stuck to his mane. "That's fine," the lion replied. "I gotta go talk to Mari anyway. I'll be back soon."

With that, the lion trotted off in a seemingly random direction.

As Mohatu wandered, he passed by several hills, rocks, fallen logs and crispy black shrubs, but found no sign of Mari anywhere. He did, however, come across several other leonine creatures at Five Rocks.

As Mohatu approached Busar and his mate, Karttiki walked towards Five Rocks from the opposite direction. She was carrying something green in her left front paw, which stood out vibrantly.

"Here," Karttiki announced, setting her paw on the ground beside Narisah and releasing her grip on the plant. "You're gonna want some of this… it should help alleviate the pain."

The injured lioness inched closer toward the plant, eventually grabbing it with her healthy paw. She then pushed the nip towards her nose, before taking a deep breath.

Seconds later, Narisah's eyes closed while she sighed happily.

Busar waited for a brief moment, before nudging the back of her neck with his nose. "Is that better?" he asked softly, while trying to hide his tear-stained face from the other two lions.

Narisah used her paw to rub the plant all over her muzzle. Consequently, the lioness's purr increased in volume by several orders of magnitude. "I feel guuuuuud..." the lioness smiled back.

A final tear fell from Busar's eye as he nuzzled his mate for the last time.

Unfortunately, his moment was cut short by a rumble of distant thunder. The lion backed away sadly, but carried a warm smile on his face. "I love you," he whispered once again.

The lioness rubbed her head on the lion's paw. "Smimi si amevaa suruali..."

What Narisah said in response was unintelligible by any of the felines around her, but they could not question the obvious tone of happiness and contentment in her slurred voice.

Busar wiped his muzzle dry with the back of his paw, before glancing over towards Karttiki.

For the first time, Mohatu noticed a distinct intonation of sympathy in the lioness's voice as she spoke to Busar. "I know what it's like… but it'll get easier in time."

"How did you deal with it?" Busar asked, clearly referring to the death of Mari's father.

Karttiki placed her paw gently over Busar's and chuckled lightly. "I had a lot of nip…"

Meanwhile, Mohatu struggled to resist the sudden urge to burst out laughing from behind the two. Only a _true_ nip addict would caution against the dangers of using it. It was irony at its finest.

"You were a nip addict?" Busar asked, almost not believing her.

"No, of course not." she replied easily. "I didn't need _that much_ nip. I had Mari too."

Busar lowered his head to the ground sadly. "Yeah…"

As the three lions sat still, another boom of thunder shook the air, reminding them each of the situation ahead.

"It is time," Karttiki broke the silence. "…which means I guess I better go find Mari," she added, stepping away from the old lion beside her.

Busar continued to sit still, feeling rather melancholic given the circumstances of the situation. After some time, he called the other lion's name, showing little emotion in his voice. "Mohatu."

"Yes?" the younger lion asked.

"Come here," Busar requested.

Mohatu approached the elder lion slowly, before sitting down in the spot that Karttiki had made warm.

Busar was first to initiate the conversation. "You know Leo and Rex were my sons, right?"

"Yeah."

The older lion sighed. "So much of this is my fault. I really should have listened to them before they ran away." Busar paused for a moment, gathering his breath before continuing. "But they were young; they did not know better. They were not ready to face the horrors of war-"

"You mean, when they fought the hyenas?"

"Yes. And look what happened to them. Their hatred consumed them. They became so obsessed with being strong and powerful, that they were willing to kill _us_ to become stronger."

"Uh-huh," Mohatu nodded.

"And look what they've done," the lion continued sadly. "That kingdom of theirs destroyed an entire ecosystem today… don't you ever forget that."

Mohatu gulped. "It's awful."

"Once you leave, you're going to see some ugly things… and survival will not be easy. But you cannot let it change who you are."

Mohatu nodded, while Busar continued his lecture. "I've been watching you over the past few days. I know you're a good lion at heart… but don't let all go to your head like it did to my sons. We need a savior now more than ever."

"Is there some greater meaning behind all this, or-" the lion began to ask. Busar only seemed to be rambling, and Mohatu was not entirely sure what the older lion said was even making sense.

"Remember what I've said. When you have to question who your loyalties lie with, you will know why I told you this."

"But," Mohatu almost scowled, interrupting the older lion. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"That's okay," Busar replied. "You will understand someday."

However, Busar was afraid to mention what would happen if Mohatu _didn't_ understand when he had to make the critical choice. The old lion merely held his breath instead, until he figured out how to conclude his speech. "As long as you are calm—at peace—you are following the right path."

"Well... ugh... thanks for the advice," Mohatu nodded.

"And, do not be afraid to talk to Mari if you need help," the lion added.

Mohatu's face began to turn pink under his fur, as he began to question how much Busar knew. Mohatu was rather embarrassed by the thought of any other lion knowing how he felt about her, although he tried his best to hide it.

"It seems you share a strong bond with her, which has formed unusually quickly. Be grateful of that." The old lion began to choke up as he continued. "It's a beautiful thing... while it lasts."

"Oh..." Mohatu muttered under his breath. He _definitely_ knew.

"Is that all?" Mohatu asked, trying to change the subject without sounding impatient.

"All that I can remember, at least." The older lion nudged his paw into Mohatu's shoulder with encouragement. "I think you're ready."

* * *

On the other side of the small mountain, Karttiki began searching for her daughter. If anyone knew where to find Mari, it would be her. She knew precisely where to look, guided only by the simple intuition of a mother.

"Mari?" the older lioness called softly. On second thought, she actually had no idea where to find the younger one, given that all her favorite places were reduced to ashes.

Fortunately, Mari heard her mother's call.

The orange lioness placed her weight on three of her paws, while rubbing her eye open with the other.

"Mari?" the older lioness called again.

"I'm awake," she grunted sleepily.

Hearing her daughter's voice, Karttiki managed to find the nest of ashes that Mari was sleeping in only seconds before. Right beside it, her eyes met the outline of a big, golden-orange cat.

"Are you ready to..." the elder lioness began to ask, before struggling to speak the words she intended. Her depressed tone of voice was enough to convey the actual meaning of her unfinished question.

"Already?" Mari asked. Her question was mostly rhetorical; she knew the timing would be perfect. She only wanted to deny it.

"...yeah."

The younger lioness sighed heavily. "So, this is it, then?"

Karttiki stepped closer. "I'm afraid so," she whispered.

"I don't know... I'm not sure I'm ready for this," Mari admitted.

"Neither am I," her mother replied. Yet, as she continued to speak, Karttiki's voice suddenly increased in strength. "But, when our paths cross again, we'll be back in the Pridelands... and this will all be over."

"If we ever meet again-"

"Mari," Karttiki interrupted. She knew why the lioness was worried, but she also knew that her daughter gravely underestimated her own abilities.

The entire plan was her idea to begin with. It was, perhaps, the most brilliant idea in the entire history of lionkind, even if it seemed a little bit absurd.

Leo and Rex were able to create a kingdom, but obviously the young lioness had learned quite a bit from growing up with the two. Mari never received the same level of attention they did, but in the eyes of her mother, she was just as capable, if not more so.

The older lioness repeated something she had told Mari long ago. "There comes a time in every lion's life when a very special opportunity arises—a chance to do something extraordinary, something unique, and something perfectly fitted to her talents—a chance to leave behind a legacy."

"No matter what happens from here, you've already done that," Karttiki continued.

"Wuh... what? How?" Mari asked.

"Without you, we _all_ would have died today."

"It was mostly Mohatu that-"

"But saving him was your idea," Karttiki smiled.

Mari shrugged slightly. "I guess."

"Even if Mohatu becomes the next king, this is going to work out for us. What better strategy is there, than to have kings fighting one another?"

Mari cocked an eyebrow. "How is that better? We need to end the fighting, not make it worse."

Karttiki smiled. "That's why you're ready."

"What do you mean?" Mari asked, almost shocked by her mother's reaction.

"I was thinking about this a lot last night," her mother explained. "You are much more wise than you think you are."

Mari began to chuckle lightly, looking away. "Yeah... I guess."

"Both Leo or Rex thought they were the prophets, but I _know_ you have a role in this somehow. When the kingdom crumbles to the ground, it will be, in no small part, because of you."

"And if it _doesn't_, that will also be because of me," Mari retorted.

"Well, I'd rather not think of it that way," Karttiki forced a laugh. She wrapped her paw around her daughter's neck, bringing her into an enormous lion hug. "You've already done much more than the rest of us combined, and I'm very proud of you."

The younger lioness began to purr quietly. After several seconds passed, the two separated for what they both knew could be the last time.

"Just do your best," Karttiki added. "You can't do more."

"I'll try," Mari nodded sadly.

While the orange lioness began to walk away, she was stopped by her mother, one last time.

"Hey," Karttiki called, waiting for Mari to turn around before continuing. "Good luck out there. If anything happens... you know where to find us."

The lioness gulped heavily. "Godspeed."

* * *

Back at the now-scorched location of Five Rocks, several ominous storm clouds gathered behind the eastern jungle mountains, over the Pridelands. The faint rumbling of thunder was barely audible from the pride's former haven.

A few paces away, two lions stood atop a small hill, overlooking the devastated landscape below.

Mohatu turned around to face the creature behind him. His eyes met the black orbs of a saddened lioness.

"I... uh... think it's time," Mari whispered. "If we leave now, that should put us at Zulu falls shortly before sunrise. It'll be perfect."

Mohatu, however, did not seem to comprehend her words.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, noting Mohatu's unusual lack of response.

"I could ask you the same," Mohatu replied, sensing the distress in Mari's voice as well as his own. "But I'm fine really. I was just thinking... about what we might find," he responded with a tone of curiosity.

"And?" Mari asked.

"I saw something in a dream last night. It was just... rather odd."

Mari's ears perked with a rush of fascination. "Interesting."

"It's probably nothing," Mohatu replied.

"Perhaps..." the lioness speculated. "I... I'm not entirely sure. When clouds start to talk, who knows what's _really_ going on."

"Yeah," Mohatu sighed in agreement. "Well, first things first, we need to cross the Pridelands... and it looks like we should probably get going," he said, attempting to bring his mind into focus on more immediate concerns.

"I guess you're right," Mari replied sadly. "Let's go."

The brown lion scanned the horizon for the third and final member of their party. "Riza!" Mohatu called. "We're leaving now!"

The lion then turned back to face Mari. "I'll follow you," he affirmed.

The lioness twitched her tail. "Wait, we're taking her with us?" Mari asked.

"Yeah."

"I guess that's a good idea," Mari replied, shrugging slightly.

The two lions waited on that same hill, watching the bleak horizon with thunderheads above and scorched land below. The lightning strikes far off into the distance were nearly as bright as the late afternoon sunlight, that was obscured by the dense clouds of ash.

"Did you tell them we're leaving now?" Mohatu asked, while the duo waited patiently for Riza to join up.

"They should be leaving too, actually," Mari answered. "If not now, very soon."

"Hmm... it just seems like we're forgetting something," Mohatu added.

"That would probably be lunch," the lioness replied with a growling stomach. "It's too bad charcoal isn't very appetizing."

Mohatu laughed. "You mean you've actually tried it before?"

The lioness rolled her eyes while an odd smile formed across her muzzle. "You wouldn't believe the weird things we did as cubs."

"If eating fire-dirt was one of them, then you're probably right. I guess that explains the whole insectivore thing too?"

Mari chortled as several cubhood memories surfaced into her consciousness. "You don't want to know about that."

"Apparently," Mohatu replied.

He then turned away for a moment, looking for the other lioness. "Riza!"

"I'm here," she announced, while she trotted up the hill. "Let's go."

"I just know we're forgetting something," Mohatu said.

He had neither his wallet, nor his keys, but both were largely irrelevant and unfamiliar to a lion. He was, however, forgetting _the_ key.

"The key! That's it. What are we going to do with it?" the brown lion asked.

"It would be rather difficult to bring it with us," Mari answered. "I kinda thought the whole idea was for the others to_ hide_ the key. There's no way we're ever walking into the Pridelands with it. It needs to be as far away from Rex as possible."

"Are you sure?" Mohatu asked, twitching his nose as a fly landed on it.

"Yeah, they'll take it with them. It'll be fine."

"Alright then," Mohatu nodded. "I guess we're ready."

With those simple words, their ambitious journey had officially begun.

Mohatu took a deep breath before making his first step toward the Pridelands. It was a small step, especially for a lion his size, but its affects would be felt for generations to come.

"Mohatu?" Riza called, while sharing a bewildered expression with Mari.

"Uhh... what?" he asked, wondering why the two lionesses were looking at him with such odd expressions.

"The Pridelands is _that_ way," Mari chuckled, nodding in the complete opposite direction.

"Oh. I knew that," Mohatu lied.

* * *

A/N: This chapter is a little bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but I sorta figured this was a really good stopping point, so I'm going to end here.


	9. The Return Home

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 9: The Return Home**

Several minutes passed by in silence, as the trio made their journey across the annihilated jungle landscape. The moist, smoky air almost seemed to be unusually quiet, without any strange noises from the jungle's few exotic birds and insects.

Between the soft steps of the lions and the steady roar of the Zuberi river, Mohatu could almost hear the sounds of battle from the night before. Usama's final roars echoed in the lion's mind, ringing through his consciousness.

As he began to feel the familiar heat of flame gathering on his coat of fur, he shook his head slightly, trying to clear his thoughts.

Suddenly, a brisk wind caught the brown lion's attention. He realized he felt free.

"You know, it feels kinda good to get out," Mohatu exclaimed optimistically, attempting to spark a conversation.

Although the reality of seeing the jungle in such a condition of despair never faded away, the lion was more than happy to be leaving, after all.

"Yeah," Mari nodded. "But I'd feel a lot better if no lion wanted us dead."

Mohatu chucked. "True."

Riza gulped, as the brighter lioness's comment reminded her of a thought she tried to forget. "I guess that goes for me as well," she added softly.

Riza was now _resisting_ the unstoppable juggernaut known as the lion kingdom, and it was no surprise to the other two lions that she was only beginning to come to terms with that idea.

But she had seen Mohatu fight, and nothing terrified her more than having to face off against a lion of his level. Remembering the lion's bravery was all it took to ease her mind. If any lion could stand up to the king, it would be him.

Yet, Mohatu's presence was not the only thought that calmed her. As the lioness took a quick glance at her surroundings, the sight of a small, charred mammal made its way into her focus.

"Hey, look over there!" Riza alerted the other two. "I think I found lunch."

Mari and Mohatu followed the lioness's gaze to a lump on the horizon. It was a dead and toasted animal, no larger than a lion cub.

"Looks like a dead lemur... or something. I'm not sure what that is," Mari said.

"Whatever," Riza interjected. "It's food."

Mari stepped closer to the barbecued animal, examining the wounds carefully before lowering her head to smell it. She unsheathed one of her claws, cutting off three chunks of meat from the carcass, each of equal size.

"There," she announced. "We each get a third."

Mohatu shrugged slightly at the thought. "Actually, you can have my piece," he offered generously. For some odd reason or another, he was much happier knowing that Mari had enough to satisfy her appetite.

"You need to eat, Mohatu," she replied, sounding slightly worried. "You look like you've lost about a quarter of your weight since I found you."

Leaning back down, Mari bit off a large chunk and swallowed it whole, while she moved aside so Riza could grab her third.

"You said you were hungry," Mohatu added. "Besides, I can wait."

Mari swallowed the remaining piece of her share before picking up the last third between her teeth. She then turned around, carrying the chunk of meat to the stubborn lion.

With hesitation, Mohatu submitted to his desires and began munching on the meat Mari had dropped on his forepaws.

"You haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon, and there's no telling when we'll have our next meal," Mari reminded him.

"Mmm hmmm..." Mohatu nodded gratefully, savoring every bit of taste that he could. When he finished, the three continued their journey without further discussion.

* * *

As the lions continued to walk, the surrounding air became increasingly moist with each passing second. It had a strange, sticky and sweet smell, which managed to somehow make all three lions very uncomfortable. Before they even got to the ford at the Zuberi river, the mist had already transformed into a light rain.

But, eventually, the three lions made it to the first landmark on the way to their destination. The river was the only obstacle between the jungle and the Pridelands.

Mari paused, studying the rapid flow of water carefully before attempting to walk through the ford. "This… might be a bad idea."

"It's deeper than it usually is, but I don't see the problem," Mohatu replied, scratching his mane with his forepaw.

"Our family has a history of dying from natural causes. That primarily includes drowning in flash floods and falling off cliffs," Mari protested. "Only Leo and Rex were able to change that trend."

"Then we'll cross quickly," Mohatu suggested.

"That doesn't seem like a wise idea," the stubborn lioness retorted, much more serious in her tone of voice.

Riza rolled her eyes while the other two began to argue. "You know, I think I'm with Mohatu on this one. It's just a river. No big deal, really."

"No, you don't understand," Mari replied. "It might not be raining here, but all that water that's falling in the Pridelands right now is going to _come_ here." The lioness scowled, preparing to back away from the river's edge before continuing. "In fact, we probably shouldn't even be standing so close."

"It's just water," Riza sighed with impatience.

"But it moves very _fast_."

Although Mohatu was not necessarily worried about being caught in a flash flood, he easily picked up the tone of distress in Mari's voice. "Actually, you have a point," he admitted.

"What, do you not know how to swim or something?" Riza asked, almost condescendingly. From her point of view, the two were simply being ridiculous.

Mohatu did not want to argue. Instead, he turned to Mari with an idea. "Get on my back."

"What?" Mari asked, flicking her tail in bewilderment.

"Just do it," Mohatu insisted.

Mari walked behind the lion, and proceeded to climb on top of him. "If you insist..." she muttered.

Seconds later, her forepaws were wrapped safely around the lion's mane, while she rested her bodyweight on her underside, which was pressed against his spine. "I'm ready."

"And how is this supposed to help?" Riza asked.

"Mari's weight should make it easier to walk through," Mohatu explained with the lioness on his back. "And that is faster than swimming."

"This is ridiculous," Riza complained.

Mohatu turned his head to the side, clearly unable to deny Riza's statement as he began dragging his paws onto the riverbed. He knew carrying Mari on his back wasn't exactly for practical reasons, but he pretended it was.

This was as close as Mari had ever been to him—as close as she would ever allow. If not for the unpleasant weather, he would have savored every moment of it.

The weight of Mari pressing down on his back forced his paws into the rocks, allowing him to easily grip the bottom despite having most of his body underwater.

However, having the lioness on top of him also slowed his pace down significantly. He dragged his paws through the fast moving water for what felt like an eternity, only barely managing to keep his nose above the waterline.

Once again, it wasn't necessarily one of his better ideas.

After nearly a minute, Mohatu walked back on shore and Mari let go, leaping onto the mushy, wet ground. The two turned around to find Riza still standing on the other side of the river.

"Was I supposed to make a second trip?" Mohatu asked with a tone of both amusement and irritation.

Riza scowled, obviously having regretted speaking her comment. "No," she answered simply, as she began to tread into the water.

The violent flow of water pushed her around, and the lioness struggled to keep her head up. When she finally reached the other side, both Mohatu and Mari had walked several paces parallel to the river's sweeping current to meet her.

"Any idea where we go from here?" Mohatu asked, grabbing Riza's paw to help the lioness up.

Mari was first to answer the lion's question. "North. We'll be lucky to be out of the Pridelands before tomorrow morning."

Mohatu took a quick glance around at the unimpressive, gloomy horizon. "So this is the Pridelands? It doesn't seem like all it's cracked up to be, to me."

Mari pointed to the east. "On a clear day, if you look out there, you can sometimes see a faint, pointy mountain in the distance."

The male lion squinted his eyes for a moment, but saw no farther than a few paces ahead with the smog and rain.

"That's pride rock," the golden lioness continued. "That was our home. As you go farther that way, the land becomes nothing but beautiful, lush savannah with more zebra and giraffe than you could ever imagine. We had elephants, gazelles, and rhinos too..."

The lioness breathed heavily before speaking again. "It feels like it's been years since I've walked on these grasses, but it's really only been weeks."

"Wait, this was your home?" Riza asked, interrupting the lioness slightly.

"Well... not exactly," Mari answered. "My family was actually from the drier, rockier half of the Serengeti. We moved to the Pridelands when I was very young. I grew up here, though."

Mari began walking North, away from the river, while the rain started to pour down at a much quicker rate. As the other two followed behind, Mohatu asked the lioness further questions to pass the time.

"Why did you abandon your true home?" the lion inquired.

"Actually..." Mari pondered the question for an unusually long amount of time. "I'm not sure that I know the true reason. I guess it's because there weren't a lot of lions where we were."

"How many were there?"

"Well, I don't know," Mari answered. "I know there were a few other lions, but I also remember none of them being my age. I was the only cub."

"Makes sense, I guess," Mohatu nodded.

"And, at that time, the Pridelands were a much better place to be. There was plenty of food and water, so no one really cared about anything," she explained.

A happy smile began to form across Mari's face. "That was the good life. No rules, no worries... just right."

"Seems like it," Riza replied.

"Yep."

As the trio continued, the winds only grew stronger. Every minute, lightning would strike nearby as well, shaking the entire savannah violently with a deep booming sound. Despite the awful conditions, they continued to march directly into the eye of the intense storm, which was seeded and fueled by the jungle inferno.

"This is getting pretty bad," Mohatu groaned, squinting his eyes in the wind as raindrops shot almost horizontally into his face. "Do you think we should find shelter?" the lion asked.

"There's no time for that," Mari answered. "Just keep moving!"

"Okay, but I think-" Mohatu began, as his voice was interrupted by the crackling sound of nearby thunder. With a sudden bright flash and a deafening boom that followed, all three lions became slightly paranoid. The storm was ravaging the entire Serengeti, unlike anything that had ever been seen by a lion before.

"I think we should wait for the storm to pass," Mohatu continued.

"And get caught by Rex? Not a chance. We have to keep moving."

"If you say so," the lion retorted, dragging his paws through a rough, messy sea of mud.

As awful as the storm was, it indeed had the major benefit of keeping the trespassers hidden. When Mohatu glanced over at the other two lions, he couldn't even see them with all the water pouring down.

It was cold, wet, nasty, and brutal, but they each persisted.

After several moments, the strongest cell of the storm passed over. The clouds to the left, from across another river, barely obscured less and less of the bright orange sun from view as the minutes passed by. Not only was the storm breaking up, but the giant, glowing ball of light was going down as well.

"It's going to be a long night," Mohatu sighed.

"It will be," Mari nodded in agreement. "But at least we get to watch the sunset tonight."

"Ummm..." Riza interrupted hesitantly. "You realize that's a _bad_ thing, right?"

"Once we get to Zulu falls, we'll be safe," Mari explained. "This rain should be able to hide our scent until we get that far. Once we're there, we can stop and rest, and we'll be out of the Pridelands in the early hours of the morning."

"Zulu falls?" Riza asked. Her eyes widened for a moment. "We might have to go farther than that."

"Look, as long as we don't run into any patrols in the morning, it'll be fine," Mari replied.

"I suppose I could help with that," the other lioness agreed. "Zulu falls it is then."

"What's so special about Zulu falls?" the male lion asked, beginning to feel left out of the loop, to some extent.

"There's a cave behind the waterfall," Mari answered. "The only reason why I know about it is because Rex pushed me into that waterfall one time. Unless you walk through, though, it's pretty hard to find."

A quiet laugh escaped Mohatu's muzzle. "It's amazing how that happens. No one ever discovers anything good intentionally. It's always an accident."

"_Usually_," Mari grinned.

As time passed in silence, the sun fell beyond the horizon in its entirety. Simultaneously, the light drizzle of rain that fell from above ceased, leaving only enormous puddles of water and mud under the grasses.

Mohatu began to yawn. The walk was getting to be incredibly tedious with each passing step. This was, of course, aside from the fact that the lion's intense hunger and lack of energy only served to exacerbate the situation.

"I'm getting kinda tired," Mohatu spoke up amongst the crickets.

"Me too," Mari replied.

Mohatu tried to think of ways to keep himself busy before collapsing to the ground, but failed to generate any mildly interesting ideas. "Have any jokes to pass the time?" he asked dully.

"Not that I can think of," the golden lioness answered.

"I have one," Riza began. "It's kinda racist though."

"I don't really care," Mohatu replied monotonically.

"Alright, then. There's these two blonde lions, and they walk into a bar..."

Mohatu waited for a second. "And?"

"They walk into a bar..."

"But then what?" Mohatu asked, waiting for her to continue the story.

Riza began to smirk. "What do you mean? They walked _into_ a bar. It hurt."

"That may just be the cheesiest joke I've ever heard," Mari interjected, looking away while rolling her eyes.

"At least you actually tried," Mohatu added. "I've got nothing."

When Mari's eyes wandered across the horizon, her mind was flooded with memories of her past.

Moments later, her gaze returned to the other two lions, while she consequently let out a depressed sigh. "Wow," she muttered, after her mind had switched to an entirely different topic.

"What?" asked both Riza and Mohatu.

Mari used her forepaw to point to an enormous tree. "You see that big acacia tree over there?"

Mohatu and Riza looked beyond Mari, and spotted what vaguely resembled a tree protruding from the savannah. Under the cover of night, it was rather difficult to determine what loomed on the horizon without the moon's illumination. Unfortunately, the brightest light in the night sky stayed hidden behind the remnants of the anvil-shaped thunderheads.

"I used to sleep up there, sometimes," Mari continued. "It was the best tree in the Pridelands."

"Looks pretty cozy," Mohatu replied with a lazy smile across his face.

"It was."

"Wish I could have grown up in a place like this," the other lioness replied softly.

Suddenly, Riza's comment reminded Mari of something else. "Actually," Mari began, "there was something I wanted to ask you."

Mari paused for a moment, trying to find the most polite way to phrase her question. "Since you're not... from here... how did you get involved in Rex's kingdom? What happened there?"

"Leo _conquered_ my pride," the other lioness explained uneasily. "It just sorta... happened."

"And you didn't-" Mari began to ask, before being cut off.

"What was _I_ going to do? He promised us opportunity... a better life, really. He made it seem like he was making history with the whole 'lion kingdom' idea."

The lioness turned her head away in shame, feeling guilty and stupid for ever having believed the lies. "But that's not what really happened. Sure, he brought us to the Pridelands after that, but glory only came to those who could kill, and were willing to kill for _him_. Usama was a prime example of that."

"I'm sorry to hear that... but it is interesting," Mari muttered.

"Mhm?" the other lioness asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"Well... I don't know. We're trying to figure out what happened to Leo and Rex when they left the Pridelands, and what their motives were for creating the kingdom."

"I'm not the lion to ask," Riza admitted. "I didn't know him personally."

"Leo was like a brother to me... then he just left. I never saw him again, until he returned as the king," the orange lioness explained sorrowfully.

"I don't know _what_ would have happened to him," Riza added. "Your guess is better than mine."

Mari nodded, before changing the subject. "Well, at any rate, we should be getting closer to Zulu falls. It can't possibly be that much farther from here."

Riza glanced up at the layer of clouds, which gradually became thinner as the storm broke up into smaller and lighter fragments. When her eyes fell back to the horizon, she proceeded to ask Mohatu a question. "Well... what about you?"

"_What_ about me?" Mohatu inquired.

"I mean, where are you from?" the lioness clarified.

"Leo and Rex killed my family. I guess I'm just a rogue now... I got swept up in this whole thing too. There's not really much more to remember than that."

Riza did not find it hard to believe what he had said, and simply nodded. "Must have been pretty hard," she thought aloud.

"The whole situation seems to be pretty hard for everyone," Mohatu replied.

In all reality, the loss hardly even mattered to him after all he had been through. After finding Mari, discovering the key of Algenubi, and facing Usama's siege head-on, he had almost completely forgotten about his _true_ family.

But before he could even try to remember, the lion's thought was distracted by the whisper of an orange lioness.

"Shh! Can you hear that?" Mari interrupted. Either she was imagining things, or she began to hear the steady, uninterrupted roar of the waterfall over the chattering of the other two.

"Hear what?" Mohatu asked.

"That's gotta be it. That's Zulu falls up ahead!"

"It's about time," Mohatu sighed in relief.

"Okay," Mari began, walking up to the very edge of the river. "Just follow me. I'll show you where the secret den is."

Mohatu and Riza stepped back, forming a line behind Mari. The other two scowled when she leaped into the cold, glassy water, but followed soon after.

The three treaded water at a comfortable pace, until they reached the base of the waterfall. At that point, Mari ducked her head under, and began swimming under the rocky cliff itself.

Suddenly, a cavity filled with air came into Mari's vision, under the cliff. The orange lioness pulled herself up out of the water, and into the secret den. With the exception of a small crack being open to the outside world, it was almost completely secluded.

While Mari shook the water out of her fur, the other two lions pulled themselves up as well.

"Jeez, it's dark in here!" Mohatu exclaimed, noticing the lack of any sort of light before anything else.

"And cold!" Riza added, shivering.

Mari stopped to look back at her freezing companions. "Still, it's as good a place as any."

The lioness quietly stepped beside the other two and lay down on the hard, cold, and rocky surface. A heavy sigh accompanied Mari's thoughts as she took a moment to relax.

"I wonder how they're doing..." she whispered, obviously referring to what little remained of her pride. Her voice was incredibly soft; to the point where she began to ask herself whether or not the other two even heard her.

Judging by their lack of reactions, they never did.

As she looked back at the events that morning, a surge of pain swept through her heart. She had left Narisah behind to die, without ever bothering to see the lioness one more time. Somehow, she had forgotten.

It was a difficult time for every lion in her pride, but Mari could not shake the feeling that she should have done more to help. She ran off and left them in a time of need. Even though they all agreed, it still felt wrong.

Perhaps her guilt was not a result of making the wrong decision. After all the time she spent in the jungle, she was finally home. Yet, she started to feel like she had just left home.

Her home was with her pride. Her pride was a day's walk away.

The lioness held her head up for a moment, unintentionally revealing her expression of sorrow to the felines beside her.

Mohatu glanced over, but was unsure of what to tell the dejected lioness. Heck, he was hardly even sure what was bothering her, although it was hardly a challenge to think of a few possibilities.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," he muttered with a lazy, sleepy tenderness.

"Yeah..." Mari replied. She stared at the cave's ceiling for what felt like an eternity and a half before continuing. "I'm going to go back out for a little bit."

Mohatu stretched his paws out before collapsing to the ground between the other two lions. With a sigh of exasperation, he closed his eyes and drifted into a peaceful state of mind. "You sure? I'm just now starting to get warmed up again," he said.

Despite his comment, he actually considered following for a brief moment.

If only they could have been alone, he would have told Mari something important. He would have to tell her how he felt, eventually. As strange as it seemed, the act of keeping his feelings to himself was simply an agonizing task, to say the least.

Although there was a good chance his infatuation would be short lived, she seemed like she was the one. Viewed through the eyes of a lonely male lion, she was perfect in nearly every respect.

But, perhaps more importantly, it was no surprise that she saw something in him as well. She saved his life for a reason, and being able to kill Rex was hardly convincing on its own. If anything, that very thought was the initial spark, and that was also what would make it worthwhile, he thought.

But he knew there would be plenty of time for such conversations in the future. Until then, it was time for him to rest.

Although, unfortunately, he couldn't. Mohatu heard a splash behind him, as Mari jumped back into the water. She had temporarily left the hidden den for Mohatu and Riza to share.

After Mari swam back through the waterfall and climbed around an adjacent, smooth rock, her eyes focused on the lights above.

Considering how many stars lit up the night sky, it seemed absurd to think that _only_ the kings would be up there. Quietly, she called out to both her living and deceased family. "I don't know if you can hear me or not," she whispered, blinking away tears.

"But I... I just want you to know..."

The lioness stuck her muzzle through the fall, rinsing her face off under the heavy stream water. "I miss you guys," she added, looking back up at the stars while water fell down behind her head.

"I wish I didn't have to do this," she said finally, before turning back around.

Back in the den and seconds later, Mohatu heard Mari pull herself out of the water, and onto the flat, rocky surface beside him.

"You should get some sleep too," Riza whispered, curling up with her tail. She tried as best as she could to hide the obvious tone of frustration in her voice.

If the two love birds were going to chit-chat for a few more minutes, she planned to sleep elsewhere. The lioness was all too familiar with the feelings of homesickness, which she had experienced during earlier stages of her life, but she was not totally fond of sleep deprivation either.

"Yeah, I will," Mari replied sadly. She leaned her back against the wall of the den, while a puddle of water formed below her.

Barely even feeling her limbs from the numb, wet chill, she rested her head down and let her paws relax while she stretched out.

After having heard Mari's conversation with the stars, Mohatu extended his forepaw and placed it over Mari's while he tried to rest.

The lioness neither moved, nor spoke a single word. She felt slightly uncomfortable at first, but she was far too lazy to do anything about it. Her heartbeat only accelerated quickly, before slowly going back to a normal rate after a few minutes.

Just Mari's reaction in itself was enough to make Mohatu grin. As he began to drift off to sleep, a faint, happy purr could be heard between every breath.

Mari left her pride, but Mohatu's purr reminded her of something else. It was a gentle, comforting, rhythmic sound, that only put her mind at ease.

While she left her family behind, at least she was not _totally_ alone. Comforted by that very thought, she fell asleep as well.

For that night, at the very least, she knew she could trust Mohatu. While the lion's future was uncertain, like a dormant volcano, it was beyond obvious that he had a soft spot—despite having the blood of a fighter and destiny of a prophet. Unlike Leo and Rex, Mohatu wasn't a king.

Not yet, at least.


	10. A Thorn in the Paw

A/N: Woooo! 10th chapter! Believe it or not, I'm actually managing to stick to my intended schedule of weekly updates with this story, so far. It's kinda difficult, considering that these chapters tend to be rather long, and I really hope the quality hasn't suffered much as a result. However, I have also noticed that this story is getting much easier to write as I progress, so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up the weekly updates over the summer.

* * *

******A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 10: A Thorn in the Paw**

A small line of light illuminated the rocky floor of the den, reflecting directly back into Riza's eyes. She winced slightly, squinting a bit to reduce the brightness. Obviously, the night was over. That had passed long ago.

But the bright morning sun was not what woke her. A loud rumbling noise was being emitted from beside the lioness, which she could hear over even the continuous roar of the waterfall. She noticed that Mohatu was purring in his sleep, using Mari's extended forepaw as a pillow for his head.

Of course, that was hardly surprising. She looked around carefully, thinking about whether or not to wake the other two lions by telling them she needed to leave for a moment.

Considering that she would not be gone for long, she decided not to. She let her first paw slide off the rock gently, and the rest of her body followed shortly after, plunging into the cold water.

The sound of the splash woke the other two lions, but by the time they realized what had happened, Riza was long gone.

"Jeez," Mari exclaimed. "Is it really morning already?"

Mohatu's eyes opened steadily, while his wide smile faded away.

"...and what were you so happy about?" Mari grinned, leaning forward to stretch her spine out before the long walk ahead.

The lion stood dead still for a moment. "What?"

"You were purring all night," Mari explained.

"Oh," Mohatu replied, looking at the rock below his paws for a split second. "Was I?"

"Yeah. It was kinda loud, too."

Not surprisingly, he was thinking about _her_. Judging by his posture before he was awakened, that fact was rather blatant, and he knew it.

But, despite not seeing Riza anywhere in sight, Mohatu could not bring himself to tell her the truth. The question caught him by surprise, and he was not prepared to answer it in any way.

Quickly, he tried to tell a lie. "My nose is a little congested. I was probably snoring."

Without any further inquiries, Mari dropped the subject. "I guess so."

Yet, whether or not she knew the truth was hidden beneath her voice. Instead of dwelling on the issue, the lioness quickly prepared herself to jump into the frigid water. "Come on," she added. "Let's meet up with Riza and get outta here while we still can."

"Alright," Mohatu nodded.

The two lions swam back under the cliff at roughly the same time, emerging seconds later below the fall. The heavy water poured down on Mohatu's mane, making clear trails deep in his fur until it dripped off into the river. It was quite cold, but it did have the unexpected advantages of cleaning the dirt and mud out of his thick coat, and rinsing away the majority of his scent.

"Ugh!" Mari walked back over onto the grassland, groaning and shivering. She wiped her paw across her eyes to dry them, so that she could see clearly.

As she opened her eyes again, she found no trace of the lioness anywhere on the horizon. "I have no idea where she went," Mari said with a light tone of irritation.

"Should we give her a few minutes?" Mohatu asked, following Mari's path onto dry land. "She probably just had to use the tree, or something."

"If she doesn't return soon we should probably just leave," Mari answered. "I'd rather not linger around here."

As his fur began to dry in the sunlight, Mohatu looked to the late morning sky as several birds flew above in a 'V' formation, whispering to himself. "She'll be back..."

Yet, a chill of nervousness suddenly fell down Mohatu's spine as he began to consider the situation further. "Actually, I think we better go." he suggested.

"Huh? Why?" Mari asked, cocking her head to the side.

"If Riza is in trouble..." Mohatu began slowly, attempting to speculate with dilating eyes. "That means we are too."

"You mean-" Mari paused, immediately discovering the answer to her own question.

If Riza had been found, the secrecy of their mission would easily become compromised. Mari knew all too well that, under no circumstances, could that be allowed to happen. Not even _Mohatu_ understood the true importance of keeping quiet.

If Rex knew what was going on, the entire kingdom would go berserk. It would be insane. Of all the things that could happen, it would be the worst possible thing.

"Ah, crap..." Mari swore. "Fine. I'll follow the tracks, but we need to stay hidden."

* * *

Riza's ears twitched as the sound of pawsteps approached her. Quickly, she ducked her head into a nearby bush, trying desperately to remain hidden from the lions.

But she was too late.

"Isn't there somewhere you should be?" one of the lions asked. His furious, condescending voice was that of no lion other than the king himself. The two obedient felines who stood beside him were, presumably, his elite bodyguards.

The last syllable echoed in Riza's mind until she fell through the depths of insanity. She was not prepared to speak to the king directly, especially given the circumstances.

"Where is Usama? Why have you returned without him?" the king demanded.

Riza stood up and stepped away from the shrub courageously. "Usama is dead," she stated with an dull, blunt tone.

Rex scowled, drawing closer to the lioness. "How is that _possible_?"

"They were prepared for our attack," she replied. A slight intonation of fear could be heard in her voice, as she became dwarfed by the much larger leonine shadow.

"So you disobeyed your prophet's orders?" Rex yelled, clenching his teeth together angrily.

The king glanced over to his bodyguards and nodded. Without ever speaking a word, the two warriors guarding him leaped at Riza, and pinned her to the ground within an instant.

"No... no, no! If I didn't return I would have died!"

Unfortunately, the lioness's pleading tactic was far less effective against the king. Rex stepped towards her, completely unfazed by her cries. "There is no room for weakness out here," the king added ruthlessly. "The punishment for failure is _death_."

With the lioness's limbs pinned down, she only had one option left to buy her own survival. As the king proceeded to slash his paw across her throat, Riza began to describe the situation.

"It... it wasn't that simple! They had help! The lion we were fighting against—he... it was a massacre! He was-"

Before Riza could finish speaking, the king had already begun his painful execution. He started by drilling his claws into the sensitive areas around her throat.

The lioness closed her eyes, shrieking in pain. "MOHATU!" She cried the lion's name to get his attention, but also to tell Rex what he wanted to know at the same time.

While Riza roared across the savannah out of torment, another lion felt a surge of agony puncture his own heart. Instinctively, Mohatu ran forward with all his strength, ready to pounce on the lion and bring an end to the conflict once and for all.

He could hardly believe that the lion he saw claimed to be the prophet. The thought that all his pride's troubles could be brought to an end with a quick slash of his claws was simply mesmerizing. It was irresistible.

Either the king was going to die, or Mohatu would die fighting.

"No!" Mari whispered, trying as hard as she could to hold on to the end of Mohatu's tail, with both her mouth and forepaws pinning it down. "Now is not the time. We have to go! Now!"

Mohatu turned around, finally able to control himself. "She's going to die!" he whispered hastily.

Was he _really_ going to let that happen? What sort of lion would sit back and watch while another was being executed?

"We're _all_ going to die, if you try to kill him," Mari retorted quietly.

"But..." Mohatu mumbled with a hint of despair and sadness.

"Remember," the lioness scowled, suddenly finding a way to explain. "Remember what happened to Leo and Rex. Killing him won't solve the problem. It will only make things worse."

Mohatu's jaw lowered slightly, while his breathing became much more fluid. "You're right," he said, flattening his ears slowly.

As the lioness released her grip of Mohatu's tail, she picked up a rock and threw it over Rex's head. The sound of the impact caught his attention for a moment.

"Come on! Let's go!" Mari whispered.

Mohatu hesitated greatly, but had to make the choice.

He had to leave Riza behind.

The sacrifice was to save the Pridelands as a whole, Mari, and ultimately himself as well. With a slow stroke of his paw, he turned his back on the lioness he had tried to save the day before.

Subsequently, the duo began sneaking through the savannah, almost as if they were stalking prey. Unfortunately, they _were_ the prey. Stealth was their only hope of survival. Mari and Mohatu fled quickly and quietly with their tails hugging the ground between their legs.

Meanwhile, Rex's gaze shifted back over to his latest victim. As her cries of pain faded away into a permanent rest, a strange thought occurred to the king.

Very few lions could have fought Usama and won, and many fewer against Usama's _entire_ task force. Some lion was helping his enemies, and it had to have been some lion with a significant amount of combat training.

That constraint left only a few possible options, in regard to the lion's identity. No lion the king knew could have pulled off such a feat—other than himself, or his deceased and forgotten brother.

Whoever this 'Mohatu' was, he would inevitably become a thorn in the king's paw. Rex would have to remove the threat quickly, before it caused him even more trouble while he attempted to ascend the throne of his ancestors.

"Sheikra!" Rex ordered.

Upon hearing his name being called, an African hawk swooped down from the hazy sky above. "What can I do for you, sire?" he asked coldly.

"Tell Ganji to meet me at Pride Rock immediately," the king demanded. "I need to talk to him... _in private_."

The obedient bird of prey nodded. "As you wish, milord."

* * *

"Okay, change of plans," Mari whispered as the duo hid in the shadow of an acacia tree. "If we can just make it to the gorge, we can sneak through the cactus field to get to the desert."

Mohatu raised a paw into the air to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! A _cactus_ field?"

"No one is going to expect that," Mari retorted. "As long as we move carefully, it shouldn't be too bad."

"You're insane," the lion spat.

Mari rolled her eyes. "_Insanity_ is charging at a lion with a burning stick in your mouth."

Mohatu's heart sank even farther into the ground. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the fact that Mari thought it was stupid hurt him more than he cared to admit. "That wasn't one of my better ideas..."

"Well, this is our _only_ idea."

"Alright, alright... we'll do it. It's still insane, though."

The lioness exhaled heavily. "You know, when you've been through as much as I have, you kinda learn how to survive in these sorts of circumstances. If it's insane, but works, then it isn't insane."

"Okay, fine," Mohatu dropped his comment so that his companion would calm down. "So, are we just going to make a run for it?"

"Hmm..." Mari whispered, scanning the horizon carefully for any sign of movement. "It looks clear... but that doesn't mean we aren't being watched."

"They'd have to be insane like we are to follow us into a cactus field," Mohatu replied. "I'd say whether or not they follow us is irrelevant."

"I suppose you're right," Mari conceded. "Follow me, and don't stop until we get to the briars."

As she finished her words, the lioness leaped from the grasses. In only a matter of seconds, she was cruising through the Pridelands with tremendous speed.

In spite of being heavier and having a much clunkier posture, Mohatu managed to keep up with Mari's tail as she carved a wake through the golden grasses.

Suddenly, after several minutes of running, the grass vanished from beneath Mari's paws. She dragged her claws through the hard, brown dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust behind her as her momentum was brought to a sudden halt.

Likewise, Mohatu skid through the dirt beside her.

While the two lions tried to catch their breath, the landscape took it away. They were standing at the very edge of the widest and deepest canyon known to lionkind.

Over the time period of many millennia, the flow of water had washed away many layers of rock below the savannah. The sheer size of the gorge was breathtaking, and the brilliant shades of brown and red only added to the awe of the landscape.

Mohatu kicked a small rock off the edge, and watched as it bounced off the cliff below. By the time it hit the very bottom, it was too far away for the sound of the impact to be heard.

"My God..." Mohatu muttered, as he finally managed to overcome his speechlessness. The same chill flowed again through his spine: the chill of imminent death.

Yet, little did he know that two other lions were running towards him, from across the golden waves of savannah. After eying the two leonine interceptors, Mari padded over to Mohatu, who looked back nervously.

"Ww-what are you doing?" Mohatu asked.

The lioness spoke quietly, keeping her mouth almost entirely shut the entire time. "Just... keep your head down."

Mari grappled onto the larger lion, and with a quick push, the two began tumbling down the cliff as one enormous wad of fur.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Mohatu screamed, suddenly finding himself facing the sky above with nothing below to hold on to.

But that changed all too quickly.

"Ooof!" He grunted, beginning to roll down the cliff.

"Aaaah!"

"Hnnggg!"

"Ahhh! Dammit dammit dammit!"

Eventually, the ground leveled out, and the two lions rolled away from one another, tumbling in completely different directions.

The duo slid to a halt, with both felines suffering from several minor bruises. As Mohatu slowly crawled back onto his paws, he became aware of that fact while the world continued to spin from dizziness.

"Ugh!" Mari groaned. "That was a little bit worse than I thought it was going to be."

"Are you hurt?" Mohatu asked, ironically while he was asking himself that very same question.

"Only a little," the lioness winced. She limped herself back up on all fours, before trying to survey the land to see if her attackers were stupid enough to follow.

"Don't you _ever_ do _anything_ like that ever again," he replied, looking much more worried than angry.

Mari spat a faceful of dirt out of her mouth. "We were being _followed_," the lioness argued. "But, don't worry. We're never coming down here again."

Without warning, the lioness began trotting over to the other side of the gorge. As Mohatu's vision steadied, he took note and proceeded to follow.

The canyon branched off into two paths. One of the paths remained incredibly wide and open to the scorching sun, but the other end of the fork was short, narrow, and shaded. It was the perfect escape.

At the end of the pass, the path opened up into a mind-numbingly large field of briars. Both lions paused for a moment, savoring what little time they had remaining without thorns poking and scraping into their skin.

"So, how are we going to get through that?" Mohatu asked with exasperation.

"Just..." the lioness eased forward, bringing her body as low to the ground as she possibly could. "...very carefully."

As Mohatu followed, a thorn scraped the top of his mane. He tried to pull through, but the branch wouldn't move.

So he pulled harder.

Eventually, the tension in the branch overcame its strength, and with a loud crack, it snapped. Now free to move again, Mohatu continued to follow the lioness, dragging the branch with him as it stuck to the top of his head.

It was only a matter of time before the same painful experience repeated itself. Before Mohatu was even a few paces into the pit of hell, he had already acquired a plethora of spiky branches with his brown coat.

As the lion glanced over at Mari, he noticed that she didn't look all that much different. There was one stuck behind her ear, another on her shoulder, and two that stuck to her hind legs.

the lioness sighed. "You know, of all the places to burn... why did Rex have to ignite the _jungle_?"

"If I became an arsonist, this would be the first place to go," Mohatu added deviously, squinting his eyes with frustration. Needless to say, the lion felt a sadistic hint of relief as he began to imagine the path ahead bursting up in flames.

"Today would be a good day to become one," Mari joked to lighten the mood.

As they both knew, even the most challenging obstacle course could become quite easy with a little bit of fire to level the path.

* * *

Before Mari and Mohatu made it through to the end of the field of briars, the sun was gone and their coats of fur were littered with prickly plants.

Suddenly, the reality of the situation struck a devastating blow to Mohatu. This was not the adventure he had hoped for. In fact, that thought was quite an understatement.

When he finally lowered his head under the last branch, he breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

Immediately afterward, he brought his paw up beside his nose to inspect it. For the entire hour before, putting weight around a certain spot on his paw was perhaps the most painful experience of the week. Obviously, that meant a lot, considering all he had been through.

As Mohatu analyzed the underside of his paw, two things caught his attention. Not only was a thorn jammed into the rough surface of his paw pad, but he noticed that one of his middle pawtoes was half-mutilated, missing a claw as well. Although it seemed strange, he did not think much of it.

But the thorn was too small for him to get his teeth around. For several minutes, he struggled to remove the pesky splinter from the edge of his large paw pad.

"Got one stuck _there_?" Mari asked, sitting beside him with her own fair share of barbs clinging to her fur.

"Yeah," the lion groaned.

"Let me look at it," she said, stepping closer.

Mohatu set the paw on the dry, cracked ground, with the pad facing upward, while the lioness inspected the wound carefully.

"Hmm..." the lioness muttered, examining the paw. "Looks like it's stuck in there."

"Gee," Mohatu replied sarcastically. After all he had been through, not even Mari could lighten his mood.

The lioness placed one of her paws over his to apply pressure, in an attempt to squeeze the thorn out. As she noticed that it wasn't working, she used one of her claws from the other forepaw to wiggle it around.

Eventually, she applied pressure at the right angles, and the barb shot out, swiping the lioness across her nose along its flight trajectory.

"There," she snorted. "It's out."

"Great," Mohatu replied, bringing his paw up to scratch an itch on the top of his mane. Unfortunately, there was a thorn stuck there too. "That's one out, but there's still a lot more."

Mari groaned before resuming her own grooming. "This is going to take _all_ night."

"We should probably walk a little farther away," Mohatu suggested, as he pulled yet another twig out of his coat with his teeth.

"That might be a good idea," the lioness agreed, rising to her paws. "Just... out of sight from here."

Shortly afterward, Mohatu began walking further, looking up at the stars to guide him. The Leo constellation was all the way to the east, with its tail barely hanging above the horizon of dirt.

"Isn't it weird how everything always moves from east to west in the sky?" Mohatu asked.

"I guess," Mari muttered, hardly even paying attention. "Never really thought about it before."

"It's almost like we're all moving around in a circle... or something."

"But, if we're moving, wouldn't we _feel_ like we're moving?" Mari asked easily.

"Not if we're moving slow enough, I suppose," the lion speculated. "It would only be one rotation every _day_."

"That..." Mari tried to consider his idea. "I don't know."

"Of course, I have no idea what those sparkling dots are anyway, and much less of an idea why we don't see them during the day."

"Yeah..." Mari muttered, looking at the ground before continuing. The ancient kings probably had the answers to such questions, but, being the more primitive lions that they were, neither of the two possessed a very strong background knowledge of the subject.

"We don't really know anything..." Mohatu sighed.

"Look, I'm sure everything will make sense, once we get to Lea Halalela," Mari reminded. "That's why we're doing this."

"Yeah," Mohatu exhaled sarcastically. "But it's just as likely that we'll find more questions than answers. _Especially_ if things keep going like this."

Mari paused for several moments. He was right; things weren't exactly going as she had envisioned them, either. Her attempt at trying to be optimistic had failed miserably.

"Mohatu... I..." the lioness tried to apologize. As much as she knew Mohatu was going to tell her it wasn't her fault, she knew in her heart that it was. Nearly every decision that had been made up until that point was hers.

Not only had she brought Mohatu into the entire mess to begin with, but she _was_ using him. She never thought she would feel guilty for it, but it was what was happening. It was eating her away from the inside out, and there was nothing she could do to prevent that.

Sensing the discomfort in Mari's voice, the lion knew he had to say something. "You've had some bad ideas, but it wasn't your fault..."

Yep. She was right. That was exactly what he said.

"Yeah... I know," Mari lied, before lightening up slightly. "Please, if I ever suggest running into a cactus field again... just kill me," she tried to laugh, but her mood would not allow it.

"No, seriously," Mohatu replied. "This would probably be a lot worse if you _weren't_ with me."

For a brief moment, Mari's heart began to soften. She looked back at the field of spurs again, while holding in a cute mew. As the lioness caught her breath, she noticed they were far enough away to stay hidden.

"I think this is good enough," she announced, changing the subject and sitting down on the brown desert sand.

The lioness began to relax in the sand, and consequently, her feelings of guilt and sadness increased tenfold. She was not only _using_ Mohatu, but he was _blissfully_ unaware of it, too. Nothing she could have told him would have made him understand that.

In an attempt to distract herself, Mari began to lick the remaining barbs out of her fur.

Mohatu simply sat and watched, admiring her beauty while she wasn't looking. After she allowed Riza to die, pushed him off a cliff, and forced him to crawl under a field of cacti, he was beginning to have second thoughts.

She definitely wasn't perfect.

Nevertheless, she did attempt to save his live _three_ times in one day. That was plenty more than he could have asked for. Even when she was covered with thorny twigs, she was still cute.

Mohatu sat down as well, making a cradle in the sand with his growling stomach. Reluctantly, he began to clean the garbage out of his fur too.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mari began watching Mohatu for a change. He was lost, alone, malnourished, and certainly in dire need of grooming. As he sat in the sand, casually cleaning himself under the night sky, Mari found it increasingly difficult to contain her feels.

She secretly pitied him and his blissful ignorance, in a strange way.

But as strange as it seemed, she almost _wished_ she could be him, at the same time. Even in the state he was in, the lion's abilities were beyond that of any ordinary large cat. Unlike the lioness, Mohatu's potential was nearly limitless.

The complete silence allowed Mari's thoughts to gather and fester even further into her mind. She wanted to say something to him, but she had no idea what it would be. He looked so miserable, and in the lioness's heart, she knew she wasn't actually faring much better either.

"Mohatu?" Mari called softly.

As the lion turned around, his eyes lit up noticeably.

"I..." Mari stuttered, beginning to turn away. She had no idea what she was going to say. In fact, she hardly even knew why she called the lion's name in the first place.

Mohatu's pulse went up suddenly, for reasons he could not explain. There was a strange tension in the air, just from reading the lioness's sad and nervous body language. "What?" he asked casually, trying not to sound demanding.

"It's just that..." Mari sighed, anxiously scratching under her ear with her paw. "Nevermind," she concluded lazily, as she rested her head above her forepaws. "It's nothing."

Mohatu's tail twitched from one side to the other. He hated seeing her look as depressed as she did, but he also knew that he would likely be of little consolation in his current state. "Are you sure?" He asked.

No, she wasn't. Something was bothering her, but even she wasn't _entirely_ aware of what it was. "I guess I..." she began mumbling.

Mohatu cleaned his paw, while waiting patiently for the lioness to continue.

The lioness eventually blinked her eyes, trying not to get too emotional. "I was going to say... I'm glad you're here too."

Suddenly, Mohatu looked away to hide a satisfied smile. Based on the way she was acting, the lioness's comment was only the tip of the iceberg. Now, he was almost certain that Mari liked him for sure. There was a good chance that she felt the same way.

As the lion continued grooming himself, Mari's embarrassment faded away while she noticed his faint smile. Her spirits lifted slightly as well.

With an unexpected jolt of energy, Mari stood up and walked closer to the lion. "You've done a lot for us, over the past few days..." she began, her voice gradually growing calmer.

Mohatu picked the last barb out of his fur with his teeth, and spat it out in the sand beside him. He then looked up to the lioness standing on the other side.

"...and I guess I never thanked you for that," Mari continued. Gently, she nuzzled her head across the lion's thick, brown mane.

As a yawn trailed Mari's words, she decided to sit down beside the lion. "I know things are only going to get worse from here, but I will try to help you as much as I can," she added warmly, resting her head in the sand beside Mohatu's shoulder.

Not too surprisingly, Mohatu began purring with an uncontrollable rumble. He sighed happily, and his muscles relaxed despite a total lack of movement.

In only a matter of seconds, the loneliness that both lions felt began to fade away. Yet, it was not until hours later that the two finally collapsed under the clear night sky, exhausted and deprived of sleep.


	11. The Void

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 11: The Void**

Mari began tossing and turning in her bed in the sand. As the early hours of the morning passed by, the sand below her paws grew hotter. She knew had been sleeping in the badlands, no doubt, just from the scorching heat of dawn. The dry heat boiled any remaining trace of moisture from her coat of fur.

It was nearly hot enough to fry an egg, and it was only the beginning of day three.

With an exasperated yawn, Mari glanced slowly at her surroundings. On the western horizon, nothing could be seen but hills of sand.

To the east, it was equally hot and arid, but much rockier. Several enormous boulders extruded from the sands, which had been carved into rather odd and unstable-looking shapes by many years of weathering and erosion. The shadows left by the rocks seemed rather inviting, but the lioness could not bring herself to move.

Instead, she continued to lazily inspect her surroundings. Farther north, there were a few random, scattered patches of dry grass, which looked a bit more promising.

Promising, not because of the grass itself, but because a dark streak moved through it. The lioness blinked her eyes to refresh the image, but it was gone. She could only wonder if she actually saw something, or if it was just her imagination.

Mari looked back at the sleeping lion beside her. Although the lioness was weary of suffering the same fate as Riza, she did not want to wake Mohatu. This was the desert; the chance of being caught by one of Rex's patrols was slim to none. It was rare for any lion to ever venture beyond the gorge.

Slowly, Mari rose to her paws and walked over to the grasses, after her curiosity took over. With a closer look, she identified several dark stripes.

The creature she saw was a zebra.

Naturally, the lioness unsheathed her claws and began creeping forward. Although her body was not hidden beneath any grasses, her fur color alone was enough to keep her hidden. Only her shadows could be seen; her vibrant, tawny coat blended with the bright yellow sand almost perfectly.

She continued to creep forward, silent and hidden, until she was within pouncing distance.

Swiftly, the lioness leaped toward her unfortunate prey, wrapping her teeth and claws around the Zebra's throat.

Although Mari was never the best huntress in a group, she had the uncanny ability to hold her own. Very few lionesses could bring down a medium-sized prey without the assistance of a pride—but, like her mother, she was an exception. Although she was neither as quick nor as brutal as many other lionesses, she was quiet enough to have the element of surprise on her side.

After a brief struggle, the creature lay dead in the grass, with several chunks of the striped equine's flesh dangling from Mari's teeth.

Mari did not usually feel any guilt during her hunts, unlike when she fought other lions. It remained true even during and after the kill, as she watched her prey struggle for survival.

While she regretted terminating the zebra's life, she had not killed the creature for pleasure, or even out of blind, misguided hatred. Like defending herself in battle, it was for _her own_ survival.

After a few delicious bites of meat, the lioness began dragging the rest of the carcass through the grass with her teeth. Since it was not far, she decided to bring it to Mohatu.

However, it did not take long before Mari started questioning her actions. There was another reason why she was bringing Mohatu the kill. It was not because she _wanted_ to drag a dead animal across a hill of sand.

It was not because Mohatu was incapable of walking to the carcass, either. Heck, there was no reason why he couldn't hunt on his own. More than likely, he would have had even better luck than the lioness.

The true reason was because she felt guilty.

Even after all Mari had done for him, she also had to consider what she _hadn't_ done.

Everything she did for the lion, she did with only one intention: to make Mohatu like her. She _needed_ him to like her, but not for the right reasons. She needed him as her weapon, and she loved him, as a weapon. Her friendship with Mohatu was the key to understanding, overthrowing, and eventually abolishing the lion kingdom, but hardly anything more.

Yet, somehow, her actions only began to prove that the line she had once drawn was being blurred. She was no longer acting nice because she wanted to use him. She was acting nice because she felt guilty for using him as well.

As Mari dragged the carcass beside her original resting position, she observed the lion carefully as he breathed in and out every second. Despite her rather loud struggle with the kill, Mohatu remained asleep. He was quiet, and, oddly enough, the atmosphere was incredibly peaceful.

Mari stood still, suddenly being absorbed in her own thoughts. She had acted very unusually the night before, and she truly did not understand why. Perhaps she felt more than just guilt...

* * *

Meanwhile, a large, muscular, brown lion stepped slowly into an expanding field of darkness. Simultaneously, a heavy metal door, nearly the size of an elephant, began to make a low-pitched grinding and clanking sound as it closed slowly from above.

The bright, yellowish-orange light of the outside desert fell beyond the door, as the lion enclosed himself in the shadow. The big cat stepped forward, unintentionally pressing down on a square tile on the floor. He could not see where he was going, for there was not even a hint of light.

Suddenly, with a strange mechanical flicking noise, several torches began to ignite along the walls of the structure. They were spaced at equal intervals along each of the four walls, with about a dozen on each wall, except the door behind him.

The lion shifted his gaze to the side, until his eyes met another lion, very similar in appearance.

"What _is_ this?" the other lion asked in a state of awe, as the giant door slid down behind them. His voice echoed off the walls and hard floor, while his face held an emotion of curiosity with the intensity of a youthful cub.

The two lions were both much older than cubs, of course, but their insatiable thirst for knowledge had never changed.

"I don't know... it's even weirder on the _inside_. Who knows what secrets our ancestors have buried beneath our paws," the larger lion replied.

The two felines gazed around at the empty room, simply admiring the architecture around them, despite its apparent lack of complexity.

With a rush of fascination, the smaller of the two began looking at a nearby wall, which was decorated with strange markings and patterns. "Wow... who could have done this?"

The lion gently slid his paw across the wall to rub away a thin layer of dust. Simultaneously, the same stone that he touched moved farther into the wall, without any external force.

Immediately, a second row of torches suddenly illuminated the pyramidal ceiling of the temple. Even from the inside, the structure appeared massive, perhaps even big enough for a _herd_ of elephants.

To the lion's surprise, what he saw was only the beginning of the tomb. Whatever it was that his companion did, the switch also caused a gaping hole to appear in the once-polished stone tile floor. The center tiles had slid open in a rotating, circular pattern.

The curious lion lowered his head into the hole. From his viewpoint, at least three more chambers occupied the space below. "Rex..." he began, barely able to speak from the surge of awe flowing through his blood. "You're not going to believe this!"

Before his brother could take a look, Leo attempted to leap down to the level below.

As the heavy lion landed, his claws slid off the floor of the lower room, and he struggled to pull himself up. He was going to fall farther down, and he knew it.

In his state of panic, Leo tried to throw his paws out farther onto the smooth, glossy surface, but to no avail. "Rex! Brother! Help me!"

The lion's grip was slipping. Inevitably, he was going to fall.

He had to let go.

"Ugh!" the lion exhaled heavily, dropping onto another hard floor below. It was too short of a fall for him to orient his body in the air, but too long of a fall to keep the wind inside his lungs.

"Leo?" the other feline called out, looking down into the hole.

Leo attempted to speak, but could not for several moments while he tried to catch his breath. While the lion rested on his back, Rex made an enormous leap down to the bottom to assist his brother.

"I... I'm fine," Leo began to speak. Quickly, the lion pushed himself back up onto his paws. "Do you really think after all we've been through I can't take a fall like _that_?"

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, fine," Rex replied jealously. "It's a wonder you could even fit inside here with an ego that big."

"Ahem," Leo forced a cough, and nudged his brother. "I killed Musashi's clan, did I not?"

"With _me_," Rex corrected.

"That doesn't mean I needed your help. I could have killed them all myself."

Rex flattened his ears. Clearly, he was getting annoyed with his older brother's shenanigans. "That's bullcrap and you _know_ it."

Leo grinned. "Heh. You only _wish_ you could be as awesome as me."

"Stop deluding yourself," Rex spat.

"Just admit it," the lion smirked. "You're jealous of my abilities."

Swiftly, Rex jolted his hindleg into his older brother's knee, causing the lion to wobble and eventually fall to the ground.

"Seriously, Leo?" Rex attempted to feign disappointment. "Stop making a fool of yourself. You can't even walk without falling over," he said condescendingly.

Leo scowled, before climbing back up onto his paws for the second time. The lion's tail swatted at the air behind him, as he began to plot ways to exact his revenge in the future.

Meanwhile, Rex walked forward, directly into a long and narrow passageway that he had found. Without warning, he left his older brother behind in the dark.

Instead of following, Leo began walking in the opposite direction. On the other side, there was yet another passageway, very similar in appearance. As Leo stepped closer, a row of electrically-lit torches flickered on to illuminate the path.

After a few paces, the path terminated orthogonally into another. At the end of the second path, there was little to be seen other than darkness. Yet, Leo continued walking anyway.

As he approached the room at the end, nothing happened. There were no lights that somehow magically turned on, no doors that opened, or no walls that shifted. It was just a dark, empty room.

The lion paused for a moment, to consider his next move. Yet, in the silence, he heard something moving. It was approaching him.

Instinctively, the lion drew out his claws. He lowered his weight into a comfortable fighting stance, scanning into the dark void for any sign of movement.

After a time, he heard another sound, emanating from the shadows.

In an attempt to scare the creature, Leo breathed out a heavy roar that shook the entire structure. As the sound echoed and amplified throughout the tight confines of the passageway, it even managed to hurt the lion's own ears.

Two small, vertically-slit eyes emerged from what sounded like water. Whatever the creature was, it emitted a deep growling sound as well.

Bravely, Leo walked right up to the creature to face his fear eye-to-eye. After all he had been through, he was ready to fight.

Suddenly, a grid of lights ignited around the roof of the room, revealing the creature to be a crocodile. It was swimming beneath a weird, underground, and artificial riverbed of some sort, which ran through the chamber.

As the reptile stared at Leo for a moment, the scaly creature's aggression faded.

Leo's bravery alone had defeated the crocodile's morale. The creature began turning around, returning to his home in the darkness, and as a result, it became apparent that the reptile had been defeated and put in his place.

The long, thick tail slithered around in the mud before disappearing completely under the water. Without even fighting, Leo was victorious.

Yet, this did not stop his younger brother from running towards him. Having heard Leo's roar, Rex wanted a piece of the action as well. Seconds after the reptile fell back under the surface completely, the lion joined up with his future king.

The eyes of the two lions wandered off to the other side of the river, which glittered with gold and various other shiny metals, protected from the elements for thousands of years under the tomb.

"No way..." Rex spoke with his jaw hanging halfway between his muzzle and the floor.

Leo backed away, before getting a running start and leaping across the stream. Once he reached the other side, the lion glanced around at every golden nook and cranny.

One object in particular stood out to the leonine warrior. It was a gold-plated box, slightly larger than the size of an average adult male lion. In the center, there was an obvious, but strange marking.

It looked somewhat like the sun, but inside the circle, it was a spiral.

Leo placed his paw over the symbol. Immediately, the top of the box twisted open, connected only by a hinge on the other side.

Curiously, the two lions peeked inside. What they found was the preserved skeleton of a lion-like creature. Yet, resting on its mummified chest, was a large disc. The symbol 'δ' was embossed on the top of it.

"What are you doing?" a strange ghost-like figure suddenly asked from behind the two lions.

"Well, we... ugh... we were exploring this thing..." Rex turned around, answering hesitantly. Struggling to find his words, the lion turned to his older brother and whispered into his ear. "Holy crap, do you believe this? We're actually talking to a ghost!"

"Get out of my tomb," the ghost demanded rudely. "I'm not going to ask again."

"Wait... so this is_ your_ tomb... and that means you're _dead_?" Leo asked curiously. Being the brave lion he was, Leo was hardly afraid of any threat the ghost would throw at him.

"I was a king," the ghost retorted. "I cannot die. I have only come here to rest."

"So, what's all this?" Leo continued gesturing at all the elegant decorations surrounding the room.

"It's... God dammit, just get out of here," the king retorted in frustration. "It's none of your business."

"I found my way in here," Leo smirked cockily. "I think I deserve to know."

"But..." the ghost mumbled.

"I saw your little traps," Leo nudged his paw toward the ghost. "If you're going to try to keep me away from your treasure, you're going to have to try a _little_ harder than that."

The ghost stepped back. "You mean to tell me _you're_ the prophet?"

"Prophet?" Leo smiled. "I like the sound of that."

The ghost shrugged, seeming mildly surprised that the lion in his tomb was not alone. Although the king's prophecy did not specify their savior to be a _lone_ lion, he had assumed that the true prophet would not keep company around with him on a journey of such importance. "If you're the prophet, who's this _idiot_ you've dragged along with you?"

Immediately afterward, Rex growled his teeth at the ghost. "I'll show you who's the _idiot_," he threatened.

"He's my little brother," Leo replied, patting his paw above Rex's head playfully, but with a hint of condescension and sibling rivalry.

"Hmph," the ghost snorted. "Well, if you think _you're_ the prophet..."

Leo's eyes shot open as he heard the old king speak again. "Huh?"

"If you think you are the prophet, then I suppose I should give you the information you seek," the ghost said quietly.

Both lions sat still, listening intently to the ghost's wistful words.

"Regulus, Algieba, Denebola, Zosma, Algenubi, Chertan, Adhafera, Jabhah, and Rasalas: we were the great lion kings. For many centuries, we ruled all across Africa. We built tombs such as this to leave our mark in history, and emphasize our superiority. But, now, they also serve _another_ purpose."

Leo nodded, while the ghost paused for a moment.

"In each of our tombs is a disc. If you are truly the prophet, you must find the tombs, survive their traps, and take the discs."

"Is there some reason for this, or-" Leo began to ask.

"Each is a key. Find all eight keys and bring them to the tomb of king Regulus at Lea Halalela. If you can open the tomb of our last king, you will have earned your right to become one of us."

Rex cocked a brow. "And become immortal like you?" he asked curiously.

"Regulus hid all of our knowledge in his tomb—it is a nexus of power and a paragon of wisdom. If you are truly the prophet, you will be able to retrieve it, and restore our kingdom to its former glory. _Anything_ you seek from us, you will find at Lea Halalela."

Suddenly, Leo's imagination began to fill with thoughts of conquest and power. He certainly liked where the conversation had headed. "A kingdom, huh?"

"Yes," the ghost nodded. "You have already found my disc, the key of Zosma. Find the others, and all our power will be yours."

Leo and Rex stared at each other, while the ghost faded away.

It was at that moment, precisely, when Leo began to consider himself the king. He always knew he was destined for greatness, but he had no idea it would be of _that_ magnitude.

"What makes you think _you're_ the prophet?" Rex asked bitterly, showing considerable amounts of both annoyance and jealousy in his voice.

"Who else would it be?" Leo asked, smirking slightly.

The other lion coughed. "Ahem... me?"

Leo scowled, hardly even able to believe his younger brother would make such a comment. Between the two, it was simply a well-known fact that Leo was the strongest.

Rex looked down, scratching his forepaw across the muddy tiles. "I could be a king too..." he muttered angrily.

* * *

Mohatu mumbled in his sleep, thrashing around from side to side. Eventually, his sudden movements grabbed Mari's attention.

"What is it?" She asked, knowing that he was obviously awake.

Her question seemed to bring the lion back into consciousness. He stood still for a moment, absorbing the enormous dump of information he had been given by his subconscious.

As Mohatu looked back at his dream, he only noticed that the facts lined up with reality. It made too much sense to be a dream. He knew what he saw in his mind was what actually happened. "Another weird dream," Mohatu replied curiously.

Mari shrugged. "Mhm? What was it about... if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't know... it almost seemed _real_," the lion added, yawning slightly. "But, before I forget, are you sure you don't know of any ancient temples out here?" Mohatu asked, cocking his head to the side in bewilderment.

As Mohatu's consciousness was brought farther into reality, he noticed the lioness looked quite different from the night before. It was almost as if something had happened to her since he last set his eyes on her.

The fur around her muzzle was a deep red, not too different from the long, red scar across her back. She looked absolutely exhausted, although she wore an unusually large grin across her face.

"Nope," Mari admitted. "It doesn't _surprise_ me that you dream of such things, but I really don't know."

"I just don't get it then. Why am I seeing this? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"You just have to trust me," Mari said wisely.

Of course, the lioness's clever choice of words obscured whether Mohatu had to trust that she was telling the truth, or that he had to trust her _despite _telling the truth.

"I do trust you," Mohatu replied, though something strange about the situation was beginning to make him feel uneasy. She hardly trusted him, and she was asking him to trust _her_?

"Believe me, I'm just as confused as you are. But I have no doubt that once we find this... temple, things will become much clearer. So that's what we need to do."

Mohatu sighed. Undoubtedly, that was almost exactly the same thing Mari had said the night before. The whole situation was just confusing, and Mari's ambiguity wasn't making it any easier to deal with.

Of course, as soon as the lioness backed away, revealing the zebra carcass, the lion's perspective changed a little.

"Maybe you'll be able to think better on a full stomach," Mari beamed at the lion.

Mohatu's eyes widened. "Is that a-" he asked with a grin.

"Yes. I found a Zebra today."

"That's great!" Mohatu exclaimed. "How far away was he?"

"Right there," Mari motioned with her head. "I'll let you enjoy your breakfast," she nodded afterward, as Mohatu stared at the dead animal.

"You didn't have to bring me this," Mohatu said with gratitude before he bent down to grab a mouthful of dead zebra.

"It was nothing," the lioness replied, her tone of voice slightly reflecting her guilt for all she had been putting him through. "We've got another long afternoon ahead of us, so enjoy the meal while you can."

Mohatu muttered something with his mouth full of delicious meat, but his words were not easily understood.

"What?"

The lion cleared his throat before trying to speak again. "I assume you scouted around this morning?"

"I've hardly been awake for an hour," Mari confessed. "And, honestly, I'm not sure where we are. We're north of the old boundaries of the Pridelands, but that's about all I know."

Mohatu ceased eating and looked up to Mari with concern. "We really don't know what we're doing, do we?"

The lioness sighed deeply. "No, I'm afraid we don't," she responded, looking at the sand below her paws.

"Then why don't we just assassinate Rex and put an end to this conflict? Seems a lot easier than this..."

"Because I'd be killed on sight, and so would you," Mari replied bitterly. "That's why we had to cross the Pridelands under a field of cacti."

"But you killed Leo."

"We've been through this before," Mari retorted. "I'm lucky to have _survived_ my encounter with Leo," she explained. "I'm not doing anything like that again."

Mohatu looked back up at the lioness after swallowing another chunk of flesh. "But I'm with you now. It would be easier."

Mari pushed a mound of sand away with her paw nervously. "That's... beside the point. We can't just _kill_ Rex. Some lion will take his place, and we'll be back where we started."

"But how is finding Lea Halalela going to help us?" Mohatu asked.

"Look, I don't really know..." Mari replied hesitantly. The lion's bombardment of questions was beginning to get the best of her.

Although Mohatu suspected something was suspicious, he did not want to annoy the lioness with an interrogation. He chose not to say anything, but his facial expression easily revealed his true feelings.

Mari sighed. "You don't trust me, do you?" she asked sympathetically, totally understanding how the lion felt, to Mohatu's surprise.

"Yes I do," Mohatu answered, suddenly realizing how stupid it was to doubt Mari's knowledge, after all she had done for him. Of course he trusted her; he had no reason not to.

"I _know_ this is all confusing, and I _know_ it doesn't make any sense," Mari continued. "But, the truth is, there's someone—or something—out here that _changed_ Leo and Rex."

"And?" Mohatu begged the lioness to continue.

"Leo was never the real threat, and neither is Rex. Those two are just the shadow of something greater... something... I don't even know what."

"The _ancient_ kings?" Mohatu asked.

"Perhaps, yes," Mari nodded. "Whatever it is out there... _that_ is what we must confront. Everything else is secondary."

Mari began pacing in circles, impatiently, as she thought aloud, while Mohatu continued to eat his lion's share. "When they returned, I wanted to think something happened to them when they left the Pridelands," Mari explained. "But what we've found so far is only convincing me that I was actually right. There _is_ some sort of catalyst of evil out here... and we'll probably find it at Lea Halalela."

"Okay, that makes sense, I guess," Mohatu nodded. After finishing his final bite of meat, the lion licked his chops. "Is there any water around?"

"Nope," Mari replied. "This is the Badlands. If there's any water, it's a mirage."

"Great," Mohatu sighed sarcastically, rising to his paws.

Mari turned away and began walking north. "Leo and Rex made it through... there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to as well," the lioness tried to convince herself. "It's just not going to be easy..."

Mohatu closed his eyes and shook his head, before following the lioness. Although it was nice to eat a zebra, and he enjoyed spending time with Mari, he would have been lying if he said he wasn't worried. With each passing step, the future only looked a little bit hotter, a little bit drier, and a lot more confusing.

* * *

A/N: I have to say, this chapter was a hell of a lot of fun to write. Leo is such an amusing character; I'm beginning to wish I hadn't killed him off. :P


	12. Life and Death

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 12: Life and Death**

Several hours passed since the lions had eaten their breakfast zebra. The journey had been long and arduous ever since, without even a single cloud or tree to please the eye. There was nothing but sand: mounds, slopes, and hills of hot, bright orange sand, all across the horizon.

"Why does Earth have to be so big?" Mohatu asked sarcastically with a dry tongue. The lion then glanced behind, seeing only two lines of paw prints that faded off into infinity.

"I'm kinda surprised we haven't fallen off the edge of it already," Mari muttered with a similarly bitter tone. "And if this sand gets any hotter, we'll never reach it."

Mohatu did not speak for a minute, while he continued walking beside the lioness. As the two approached the top of a hill, he could see nothing but a vast expanse of even _more_ scorching hot sand below.

The lion held his jaw open before speaking very slowly. "Oh. Dear. _God_."

"This is getting ridiculous..." Mari panted. Her eyes found no trace of anything but scattered bones, all across the horizon.

"_Getting_ ridiculous? What are you even saying?" The male lion shook his head. "This was ridiculous _yesterday_."

"Well, this is worse," the lioness corrected herself.

"Hot sand or sharp barbs? I'm not too sure about that one."

The lioness groaned. "At least we had _water_ yesterday."

Mohatu sighed as well, realizing his companion was right. The mere sound of the word 'water' made the back of Mohatu's throat tingle with an excruciating thirst. He was incredibly dehydrated, without even a shadow of doubt.

"There must be water around here somewhere," Mohatu added.

"I doubt it," Mari argued. "There's a reason why no lion ever goes out here."

Mohatu shrugged. "Well, something went out here."

In a state of confusion, Mari studied the lion's expression intently. "Uh... huh?"

"Look," the lion lifted his paw, pointing at a rib cage of a long-dead animal, far off in the distance.

"Hmm... that is weird," Mari replied, analyzing the curved bones which protruded from the sand as the two walked closer.

Mohatu stopped for a brief moment, to get a quick look at the dead animal. "Looks kinda like a hyena," he concluded, based on the general shape of the fossilized bones.

Mari dug her paw through a bit of sand, to reveal a few smaller bones that hid below the old fossil. After seeing that one piece had been fractured, the lioness's mind immediately jumped to one conclusion.

Mari began to speak softly. "I wonder if... this is one of the hyenas that Leo killed..."

Simply put, it was the only possible explanation for a fractured bone in the middle of the barren badlands.

"Actually," Mohatu interrupted, while his eyes darted across the horizon. It was not just one dead carcass that sat barely visible above the sand, but several. Perhaps there were even a dozen hyena carcasses, if he had the patience to count the skulls.

"It looks like there was a _group_ of them," the lion concluded. A sudden realization struck Mohatu, as he gazed out at the wasteland of death. His mind began to fill with a strange vision of two young and inexperienced lions...

* * *

The heavy gaze of a dark, spotted hyena fell on Leo, while the lion was tired, thirsty and exhausted.

"So, you made it out this far," the female hyena spoke with a raspy voice. "That's rather impressive for a duo of feline furballs."

Leo's eyes glanced over at his brother for a split second, to make sure Rex was still beside him. "You bastards are going to pay for what you did to Abeni," he taunted ruthlessly, despite his apparent lack of strength.

The hyena raised her paw to the rest of her clan, who had surrounded the two lions completely. "Back away," she commanded. "This is what we have been waiting for."

Leo and Rex hesitated slightly, while the many hyenas that once surrounded them followed their orders.

"It seems I have underestimated your abilities," the matriarch commented with a hint of admiration in her voice. "I have to admit, I did not expect you to survive this far away from home."

Musashi stepped forward to the two lions, with open paws. "I'll make you a deal," she continued. "If you kill me, my clan will leave the Pridelands. If I kill you, my clan owns the Pridelands. There are no terms of engagement. Winner takes all."

Leo simply clenched his teeth together and drew out his claws. "Why did you have to kill Abeni?"

"Leo..." Musashi whispered ominously while she stared deep into the lion's eyes. "Leo, Leo, Leo... don't you understand? Death is only a part of life."

"You sick bastard..." Leo crept towards the hyena with an incredibly aggressive fighting stance.

"Eventually, you will realize it is true," Musashi added, neither backing away nor preparing to fight. "I can see it now..." the hyena continued. "You're not like the rest of them."

With all the lion's energy, he struck out against the hyena. However, the battle-hardened matriarch blocked Leo's strike with a simple stroke of her forepaw.

"You walk the path of a warrior, Leo," she spoke effortlessly. "You know what must be done... unlike your idiotic father."

The hyena's words only incited more anger from Leo; he began to strike with greater and greater force, but to no avail. After several failed attempts at trying to hurt the hyena, Leo stepped back, until he stood beside his younger brother.

Musashi continued to stare deep into Leo's eyes, absorbing all the lion's hatred that he held deep within. "That is what brought us here. That is what makes us _better," _she growled.

The hyena raised her paw up suggestively, before turning her back on the two lions. "Look around. There's a whole _world _out there for warriors like us, just waiting to be conquered."

This time, it was Rex's turn to try a few attacks. After watching his older brother fail consistently with each stroke of his paw, Rex thought he could be a bit more unpredictable with his strikes. However, after several close misses, the lion only depleted his breath and energy.

"We're not too different, you and I..." Musashi continued, unfazed by the lion's attempts to kill her. "You want me to die. I want you to die. There can only be one true supremacist between us."

With frustration, Leo launched himself toward the hyena with bared teeth. Musashi simply stepped out of the way, allowing the lion to plow into the sand behind her.

"But I know there is no honor to be found in what _you_ are doing," the matriarch retorted with condescension.

Seeing his brother on the ground, Rex stepped up to Musashi with bared teeth.

"After a time, you'll realize it's not about winning or losing," Musashi stepped back, grinning slightly while leaving herself exposed to an attack. "It's the glory and honor of battle that drives us to push forward, day after day. This is how life works."

After regaining his balance, Leo stepped closer once again. He was determined, more than ever, to go in for the kill.

"You're wrong," Leo retorted coldly, jabbing his claws into the side of Musashi's throat with the quickest, swiftest motion any lion had ever seen.

The hyena snarled in retaliation, but Rex attacked her from the other side before she could regain her balance and orientation. With the matriarch suddenly in disarray, Leo bit down using the rest of his strength, going in for the kill.

While the hyena managed to strike a heavy blow to Rex's head and knock the lion down before she felt lightheaded, her fate was inevitably sealed. Leo had her pinned to the sand and on her last breaths.

"It _is_ about winning," Leo growled, unleashing a roar the almost blew every hyena back with a shockwave of power. "Pumzika kwa amani, mkundu!"

With a cry that pierced through the hot and dry desert air, the remaining hyenas lunged toward Leo and Rex, kicking up an enormous cloud of dirt and sand that engulfed the entire area. The two lions stood at opposite ends, protecting their backs from a continuous onslaught in all directions.

Before the dust settled, every hyena was dead.

* * *

"My God..." Mohatu muttered, as the memory played through his mind. "It _was_ Leo. He did this."

"It's terrible," Mari said, looking down at another hyena's cracked and broken skull. "I know he was upset by the death of Abeni, but I never would have imagined that he did something like this."

"He just... murdered them," Mohatu looked away out of disgust. The entire situation gave the lion a strange, eerie feeling that he could not shake away. Never before had he felt so close to death.

The lioness shook her head slowly. "After all those two did to us—his own pride—I really should have expected to see something like this."

While Mohatu was far less surprised, he did not like what he saw. "Come on, let's go," the lion muttered. He turned away, unable to bear the pain of being reminded of the bloodshed.

As the lion walked away with Mari following, Musashi's heavy words only seeped into his conscience.

_It's the glory and honor of battle that drives us to push forward, day after day. This is how life works._

Mohatu pondered the thought briefly and in silence. To a great extent, it was true. Almost everything he and Mari did was a result of the situation they faced: the war with the lion kingdom.

_I know there is no honor to be found in what you are doing._

Sneaking under cactus fields and going without water through the badlands was hardly honorable. With the recent and unfortunate deaths of both Narisah and Riza, Mohatu really wasn't much of a true warrior. He _wasn't_ the lion he wanted to be.

_We're not too different, you and I... _

Of all the dozen hyenas that Leo and Rex confronted, every last one of them died. Of all of Usama's subordinates who burned the jungle to the ground, Mohatu killed every last one. As a frightening realization, Mohatu really wasn't all that different.

The lion jolted while he walked, suddenly caught off guard by the many similarities between him, the hyenas, and the kings. Yet, as the memory of Riza's surrender rushed into his mind, the lion relaxed slightly.

He did not kill unless it was a necessity. That is what separated Mari and him from the malevolent kings. When it came right down to it, Mari was right.

_There can only be one true supremacist between us._

Mohatu's eyes widened, as the words echoed through his mind. If he remembered correctly, Leo killed Musashi before he first spoke with the ancient king Zosma, and both events obviously preceded the conquest of Mari's pride.

Had Musashi predicted the future?

There was only one supremacist, and he was the lion king. While that title once belonged to Leo, it was now Rex. As the future began to unfold, would that title be given to Mohatu?

If he killed Rex, would he even have a choice?

What would happen if Rex died, and no lion or hyena took his place?

Suddenly, Mari's logic made loads of sense: neither of the kings were ever the actual threat. Perhaps he was beginning to truly understand the situation. The lioness was actually a step ahead, and the expanse of her wisdom was certainly beyond admirable.

As Mohatu briefly glanced behind at the lioness, a second realization fell upon him. Mohatu didn't want to be a warrior like Musashi, Leo, or Rex. He wanted to be like her. While Mari wasn't the toughest lioness, she possessed remarkable qualities of strength, courage, virtue and wisdom.

Mari wasn't a king. She was _better_.

_Look around. There's a whole world out there for warriors like us, just waiting to be conquered._

Did the world really only exist to be conquered? Even to a lion, at the very peak of the food chain, it didn't make much sense.

With animals of all shapes and sizes roaming the Serengeti, the ecosystem was much more complex than lions and hyenas simply being destined to rule it all. Many other creatures were necessary to keep a balance.

_You know what must be done... unlike your idiotic father._

Looking back, it was obvious what Musashi was referring to. The lion closed his eyes, trying as hard as he could to push the thoughts of genocide out of his mind.

_Leo, Leo, Leo... don't you understand? Death is only a part of life._

Mohatu looked down at the sand below his paws. There was a frightening truth to Musashi's opening words. Death was unstoppable and unavoidable. Only the kings of the past managed to figure out how to cheat death, and that was by transforming into a ghost of some sort.

Regardless, the statement had many varied interpretations. Did it mean he should not fear death? Did it justify killing?

"Mari," Mohatu began quietly, catching the lioness's attention before phrasing his question. "What do you think about... death?"

The lioness raised her head while she walked closer to Mohatu. "Like... what do you mean?"

Mohatu groaned, not entirely sure of how to phrase his question. "I don't know. Is it... necessary?"

"It's something I'd like to avoid, if at all possible. I think we've seen enough already."

"We're all going to die someday," Mohatu whispered sadly.

"Yes, that's true," Mari agreed. "But I'd rather it be from a natural cause. Sure, death is inevitable, but that doesn't mean it's _okay_ to kill unless it's absolutely necessary. Usually, it isn't."

Mohatu almost interrupted, before the lioness continued. "But, unfortunately, those situations have been _forced_ upon us quite frequently, as of late."

"Yeah..." Mohatu nodded.

"You know what?" Mari suggested elatedly. "Look, I'm tired of thinking about this. We've actually been pretty far today... it wouldn't hurt if we stop early tonight."

Mohatu raised a brow. "Hmm?"

"I was just thinking," the golden lioness replied. "Maybe we could just kinda relax."

Mohatu almost chuckled. "You mean, _you're_ actually suggesting that? What's wrong with you?"

"Very funny," Mari retorted sarcastically, flattening her ears. "If that is where Leo and Rex were, there could be some water nearby. Or something. We'll stop, have a drink..."

"I don't believe this," Mohatu smirked.

"Look, after all we've been through in the past few days, I'd rather spend the night thinking about something _other_ than death, for once."

"It's alright, we can stop early," the lion finally responded, with a bit more seriousness this time.

"Good!" the lioness exclaimed in agreement. "Be on the lookout for a nice place to rest," Mari added.

"Y'know, why don't we just stop here?" Mohatu asked. "By the time we get over those hills way out there, the sun will be going down anyway."

"Because it's too _hot_," Mari exclaimed. "I'd never want to sit down on this! It would burn my tail for sure."

"Okay, okay, but what about those rocks over there?" the lion inquired.

"I guess we could take a closer look," the lioness replied, veering off from her initial path to inspect the shadowed location Mohatu had pointed out.

As the two lions approached, it became obvious that the rocks were obscuring a strange sort of valley, hidden beneath the sand. Mari was first to leap down into it, suddenly feeling the relief of a gentle breeze and a dark shadow. Mohatu followed, sliding carefully down into the depression with his claws digging into the clay that lined one of the sides.

Naturally, Mari collapsed to the ground as soon as she felt the shade on her back, simply from heat exhaustion. Mohatu stepped closer to her before arching his back to stretch. After a few seconds, he sat down as well.

As the lion inched closer, he felt the electrifying jolt of Mari's fur barely touching his. He was afraid to move any closer.

Mari lifted her head up, staring at the empty blue sky above for a moment. "I wish we could have found some water here..."

Mohatu rested his chin gently above his forepaws. "Yeah," he said softly, only being reminded of the terrible sensation of dryness lingering in the back of his throat.

"We'll find water tomorrow, I guess," the lioness continued. "No big deal."

Mohatu sighed, waiting for the lioness to say something else. After what had happened the previous night, he was wondering if she decided to stop walking early to tell him something.

Or, perhaps she was waiting for him to tell her. That seemed far more likely, considering just how nervous she had been the night before.

Yet, he was not quite ready to tell her how he felt. Of all the romantic situations that he could imagine, sitting in a valley without water in the middle of a desert wasn't very high on the list. He was hardly appearing very attractive after several hours of trekking through an endless sea of sand, and the scenery wasn't all that mesmerizing either.

Of course, that was aside from the dead hyenas.

As the lion looked around, all he saw were rocks and sand. He knew he would not even be able to see the sunset, because the entire horizon hid above them, as the two rested in the shadows.

Finally, the lion gave up. "What are you thinking?" he asked, unable to bear the anticipation of silence for a more prolonged period of time.

"Oh, nothing..." she replied quietly. "Just... remembering things."

"Like what?" Mohatu inquired.

"When we were cubs." Mari answered.

"It's not a sad memory, I take it?" Mohatu asked, noting the lioness's more lighthearted tone of voice.

"It is... kinda. But only because of what happened since."

Mohatu closed his eyes, while moving one of his hindlegs to get more comfortable. "Would it make a good bedtime story?"

"Don't you think you're a little too old for that?" Mari asked rhetorically.

"Not really," the lion purred. "I'd tell you a story, but the one I have in mind is almost worse than ours."

"I doubt it," Mari replied, almost trying to force a laugh out of the situation. "The Story of Mohatu and Mari in a nutshell: everyone gets killed."

"Basically."

"Nah, this is a little bit better," Mari smiled.

* * *

A female lion cub sat buried in the thick grass of the Pridelands. She began to hold her breath, trying not to make a sound. At the same time, she raised her rear end into the air, shifting her weight slightly, preparing to pounce on an unsuspecting friend.

"What are you doing, Mari?"

Or so she thought. An exasperated sigh escaped the cub's muzzle. "Ugh... nothing," she lied, raising her body above the golden line of grass.

Mari missed her chance. If only she had a few more seconds to prepare herself, she could have pounced on the other cub, like the mighty huntress she desired to be.

Even with her golden-orange fur exposed to the horizon, she remained mostly camouflaged in the savannah. Yet, the cub's former prey was still able to detect her presence. It was certainly not the first time, to Mari's continued surprise. She simply could not approach Leo without the cub knowing, almost by instinct.

"But, what are _you_ doing?" Mari retorted, in an attempt to mask her poor hunting skills.

"I'm going to the water hole," Leo explained casually. The dusty brown tuft of fur atop his head blew in the wind as he nodded towards the direction he had been walking. "You wanna come?"

The young lioness beamed back at him. "Oh, yeah," Mari lied. "I was... ugh... going there too."

"Let's go," Leo smiled in return. He stepped carefully through the grass, carving his own trail. Mari followed in the cub's path.

Leo stepped out of the grass leading to the waterhole, where his younger brother waited for him. He noticed a strange smirk on his younger brother's face. Something was wrong, he knew that much.

The cub looked down to the mud below his forepaws. Was he about to step in something? No, that definitely wasn't it.

Rex dug his claws into the wet dirt below him carefully, hoping his brother would not notice. The cub's grin only grew wider as he deviously formed a ball of mud below his paw. So far, his plan was working perfectly.

Mari walked around to the other side of Leo, revealing herself to the various creatures drinking in harmony, and the mischievous cub Rex. The lioness cub shifted her blissfully ignorant gaze to the two brothers and twitched her eye. "I don't get it. What's going on?"

Her question was answered with a streak of brown stuff flying through the air. As Rex kicked the dirt towards his brother Leo, it split into hundreds of tiny pieces, but the largest chunk followed a trajectory leading directly under the cub's ear. Leo closed his eyes while shifting his head away to the side, out of reflex.

Splat!

Leo shook the mud out of his fur, causing bits of dirt to fly in every which direction. When he opened his eyes again, he found Rex's mouth wide open, laughing heartily at him. There would be no way the lion could get away with this; he would not be humiliated so easily. For a moment, Leo pondered saying something in return, but quickly changed his mind. His actions would speak louder than words, after all.

Leo formed a ball of mud with his paw as well. Quickly, he tossed it back at his laughing brother, aiming directly for his open mouth. "You want to fight?" Leo taunted playfully, kicking the dirt precisely at his brother's face.

Rex coughed and spat, and then looked back to find Leo ready to pounce on him. He closed his eyes and rolled into the mud with his claws unsheathed, turning his tan coat of fur into a much darker shade of brown.

In only a matter of seconds, the two male cubs grappled one another, engulfing themselves in a giant ball of violence. Mari watched from the side, until deciding to join the fray as well. It was not like she had something better to do.

As the three cubs sparred out in the open, it eventually caught the attention of several other creatures.

"Oh, great," a lioness exhaled sarcastically as she observed the fight at the waterhole. "What are you doing, Mari?" she asked, seeming disappointed with her daughter's behavior.

The three cubs put an end to their shenanigans immediately at the first sign of an adult. Mari smiled innocently, recognizing the voice of the lioness as her unhappy mother.

"You're a mess!" Karttiki exclaimed, giving the cubs a scowl. "Leo and Rex, follow me back home. Mari, you're getting a bath as soon as we get back!"

"But Mom!" Mari retorted quickly. "We were just-"

"I know... I know..." her mother sighed. "But, good God, Mari, how can you even see with mud all over your face?"

The cub attempted to wipe her eyes clean with the swipe of her muddy paw, but only made her face dirtier. "I... can't," she admitted. Careful not to trip over anything, she slowly stepped towards her mother. The other two cubs followed as well.

"That was kinda fun," Leo chuckled quietly.

"Yeah... let's do it again some time," Rex added deviously.

As Karttiki and the cubs approached their den, several old lions, including Busar, stood at the tip of Pride Rock, before a falling sun. His color almost turned to an elegant shade of red as the vibrant rays of light bathed his coat of thin, wiry fur. Another male was cleaning his the back of his ears beside Busar, while two more reclined happily on the rocky surface without a care in the world.

Mari's mother picked her daughter up in her mouth, and dragged her into the den with a group of a dozen or so lions. Leo and Rex waited by their father, outside the den.

"Time for your bath," Karttiki sighed, plopping Mari down on the hard, rocky floor. Afterward, the lioness spat out a clump of saliva-coated dirt as well. "How did you even…" she asked out of frustration, staring at the pile of mud that her daughter was in. "Damn, I don't even know where to begin!"

The lioness sat down, grabbing her daughter with her forepaws. Mari mingled around slightly, and twitched as her mother licked her neck. As her expression revealed, Karttiki wasn't particularly enjoying the situation either. With every stroke of her tongue, the older lioness ate a clump of mud.

About an hour later, Mari emerged from the shadow of the den, much cleaner than before. Noticing that her two friends were waiting for her, she crept up to the brothers slowly, until she was within pouncing distance of both.

The older brother did not turn around. "I know you're there, Mari."

"Aww..." she sighed. "How did you hear me?"

"I don't know," Leo replied. "But I thought you would have learned by now. You can't sneak up on me."

Rex chortled. "Nor me."

"Oh yeah?" Mari retorted, scowling at Leo's younger brother.

"Yeah!"

"Alright," Leo interrupted. "Let's settle this." He looked up to the top of the enormous monument almost directly above each of them. "First one to the top of Pride Rock wins."

"Hah!" Rex shouted confidently. "You know I'm going to win this." He darted off directly for the base of the cliff, and sunk his claws in to the crevasses of the rock. In only a matter of seconds, he began working his way up.

Leo and Mari each ran to find a different path upward. Between the two, Leo seemed to have more luck. After nearly a minute of strenuous climbing, he had not only caught up to Rex, but surpassed him as well.

Not after long, the very top of Pride Rock was within Leo's reach. He placed his forepaw above the plateau with dignity, then the other. With both his front paws at the top, he managed to pull himself up.

Panting, the lion cub looked back over the edge of the cliff. Rex and Mari followed behind in his path.

As Rex neared the top, Leo placed his paw out to help his brother up, grinning slightly. Later, the two did the same for Mari.

The three cubs turned around, to find all the lions distracted by the sunset below. The trio of cubs examined the horizon as well, before being mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the golden landscape.

The plains of Africa were abundant with life and movement, even at dusk. Yet, none of the creatures seemed to be aware of the greater tranquility far above.

"It's a good life we live," Leo said.

Rex corrected his brother. "The _best_."

"I just hope it never changes," Mari added.

* * *

"And I hope it never changes us," Mohatu smiled happily, purring as he stared into Mari's sandy coat of fur.

"Yeah..." the lioness sighed, yawning dryly. "That's what y-"

The lioness stopped immediately, realizing that her tongue almost slipped. "_...he_ was a different lion back then..."

Mohatu nodded. "Yep. He _definitely_ changed... a lot."

Fortunately for the lioness, Mohatu did not catch what she had almost said, as evident by his response.

Mari sighed in relief, resting her head above her paws as well. During the many moments that followed, the lioness simply stared at the dirt wall in front of her, looking back at her cubhood memories with Leo and Rex.

As she was reminded of Mohatu's presence by the warmth of his gentlre breathing, she was beginning to come to a new realization. Maybe, just _maybe,_ things could be the same again.

While she did not want to give herself any false hope, Mari could not deny that her story of redemption would be one worth telling, if it had the happy ending she began to imagine.

But, needless to say, it seemed ridiculous to be thinking about the end so soon. There was still a long, dangerous, and unpredictable journey ahead.

* * *

A/N: To be honest, I really don't like the way this chapter turned out. It seems like it was just kinda thrown together, and that's because it certainly was. Part of this was written long, long ago, another part was written long ago, and yet another part was written not too long ago, so the whole thing is rather inconsistent (to me, at least).

But, I really don't want to rewrite any of it, so I'm just going to leave this as it is and say that the updates in the weeks to come will be quite a bit better, once I start getting to the meat and potatoes of this story.

I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too much, but the following chapters are proving to be _much_ more fun to write, which should mean they'll probably be better to read.


	13. The Mirage

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 13: The Mirage**

Mohatu's dry tongue rolled across the back of his teeth. It had been a rather long time since he had the pleasure of tasting a sip of water, and relieving his thirst was the only thing on his mind.

Despite suffering from a severe lack of physical energy, the lion raised himself back onto his paws, ready to continue the journey before the sun shifted any higher above the horizon. Noon was approaching, and he was about to be walking through the hottest pit of hell, if not some place even hotter.

As the lion stretched out his paws, Mari continued to lay on the dirt beside him. Her head was curled up above her forepaws, which met the tuft of her tail, forming an oval shape as the lioness slept on her side. A small mound of sand had gathered across her back from a constant wind that had lasted all night.

Before Mohatu realized it, a strange fawning mew almost escaped the lion's muzzle, as he stood still, inadvertently admiring the lioness's elegant beauty. As a full-grown lion, he was not proud of the noise he almost made.

After several seconds, he tried to widen his field of vision, but to no avail. Even in the arid desert, Mari was simply too alluring.

Finally, Mohatu brought his paw up to wipe the sleepiness out of his eyes. It was almost frightening, the extent to which Mari was occupying his thoughts. Here he was: thirsty, standing in the middle of a sandy desert, but worshiping a lioness like a rain goddess instead of actually looking for water.

It was completely inside of him, yet completely outside of his control.

With a heavy sigh, Mohatu finally managed to look away and pull himself up out of the valley in which he slept.

As the lion's eyes scanned across the morning horizon, he noticed that a small patch of weeds hid behind another cluster of dusty rocks. Mohatu approached the spot for no particular reason, other than to escape the seemingly poisonous air around the lioness.

Mohatu looked down, watching intently as his shadow began to engulf and obscure the only identifiable landmarks on the horizon. Yet, with each step of the lion's paw, his thoughts only began to return back to the lioness, regardless of his fruitless attempts to distract himself.

Since the two left the jungle several days prior, Mohatu started noticing several changes to his companion's behavior. She was more tense, more nervous, and even more thoughtful.

As the situation around them worsened, her strength, courage, and perseverance were certainly beginning to show. She wasn't just the beautiful lioness who saved his life—she was everything he desired to be.

While Mari certainly wasn't a goddess, Mohatu looked up to her as if she was. From what he could remember, she had always stood up beside him, and he could not thank the lioness enough for all she had done. Although it sounded incredibly cheesy, she had given him a new life, a place to stay, and, above all else, a reason to live.

He only wished to provide the same for her. Whether or not he was succeeding in that respect was a bit of a mystery, but the lion was left to hope Mari saw the same spark of life in him.

During the previous nights, he had been presented with several chances to tell her how he felt about the situation, but he had not been able to bring himself to do it.

He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. No, not this morning, he thought. Not anymore.

But how was he going to do it? Was he seriously just going to walk up to the lioness and tell her how he felt? Was that really the best idea?

He had already tried more subtle methods, but none worked. While Mohatu was almost certain she liked him, it was impossible to know for sure without being more direct. He had to tell her the truth.

The lion looked down, examining his paws while he pondered the possibilities. "What if she says no?" he whispered quietly to himself.

It was a thought that sent a chill down the back of his spine; he did not want to even begin thinking about that possibility. Yet, it persisted, even though he knew the chances of rejection were rather low.

The lion knew a potential rejection would completely ruin his only remaining relationship. That would be the end of it, and things would never be the same again. At least by keeping to himself, Mari would still view him as a friend.

But was she even his friend? Or was she just trying to be nice?

The lion lowered his head and closed his eyes, shrieking at that thought. He had lived in that state of agonizing ignorance for long enough. Regardless of the answer, he needed to know.

It was worth the risk.

Mohatu placed his forepaws above one of the rocks, and moved his muzzle in closer to the weeds. With a precise stroke of his claw, he cut off a small desert flower, grasping it between his pawtoes.

It may not have been as romantic of an idea as the sunset he dreamed of, but it would have to do.

* * *

Mari unintentionally pushed a wall of bright, orange sand around with her paw, as she awakened from her long slumber. The feeling of the sand on her paws was oddly relaxing in a way, despite the lioness's excruciating morning thirst.

The strange substance was largely unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was fine, with almost fluid-like properties, yet its texture was coarse and rough. Needless to say, it was everywhere, and apparently, far outside of everywhere as well.

A slight gust of wind began to whirl some of the finer grains through the air. In consequence, the lioness squinted her eyes.

Suddenly, she changed her mind. Despite being able to sleep in, it was hardly what she would have called a relaxing morning. As she opened her eyes, all she found was sand in the air, and it simply wouldn't go away.

In fact, she didn't even see Mohatu.

"You there?" she called out somewhat hesitantly, as the cloud of dust blew away.

After several seconds had passed, the lioness called her companion again. "Mohatu?"

"Jeez," she muttered, not finding any trace of the lion. Knowing that the wind probably blew his tracks into oblivion within a matter of seconds, she tried not to worry.

"I'm here," Mohatu replied suddenly. His head was barely protruding from under a soft hill on the horizon.

The lion approached rather quickly, carrying a strange, nervous look on his face. "Look, Mari," he began, closing his eyes in embarrassment as he repeated his carefully chosen words. "There's something I have to tell you."

"What?" Mari asked. Clearly, she was unaware of the mental torment Mohatu was bringing himself.

"This whole time we've been together... I've really enjoyed it," Mohatu answered. There, he had already said it. He only needed to continue. The lion tried to convince himself this would be the easy part.

But it certainly wasn't easy, by any means.

"What?" asked the lioness, who began to feel the chill of nervousness as well, despite her calm voice. Although she wasn't sure what exactly Mohatu would say next, it was hardly difficult to think of a few possibilities. "You mean...?"

"Well, I guess what I want to say is..." he paused, biting his tongue to distract himself from the fluttering that built up to excruciating levels in his gut. "I... really like you. In a... certain way."

"Oh," Mari blushed. She did not seem surprised, but for some odd reason or another, her words seemed to elude her. It was beyond obvious that he acted like a lovesick puppy half the time, but she did not expect to be confronted about it.

Perhaps that was rather foolish of her.

The lioness looked down, only to see the flower Mohatu carried in his paw. She was unsure of how to react, so she only pretended not to notice.

Meanwhile, Mohatu was facing a much greater state of chaos in his mind. He had killed Usama. He was a warrior. He was willing to fight for Mari's pride, yet he could barely bring himself to tell the lioness how he truly felt about her. Apparently, allowing his weakness to be shown in such a way was another matter entirely.

It was ridiculous, but he could not help it. The tension within the lion was ripping him apart more than anything else had ever done before. He wanted Mari to say she felt the same.

But, being the emotionally distant lioness that she was, he had to tell her how much she meant to him first. There was simply no other way she would open up to him. Even after he misspoke his carefully-practiced lines, Mohatu kept repeating that thought to himself to ease his mind.

Yet, at the same time, he aspired to be strong for her. He wanted so badly for the lioness to appreciate his masculinity—essentially, his lack of weakness or dependence. Ultimately, his greatest desire was for her to know that he was worthy of being her mate.

It was all incredibly conflicting, and the awkward silence nearly made Mohatu sick from his own anxious anticipation.

He had already said it. If she had been oblivious before, she had to know at this point. All he was doing was waiting for her response, but it was taking far longer than he ever could have predicted.

He stared deeply at the lioness, trying his best to anticipate her thoughts. "If you don't feel the same, I understand..." the lion muttered sadly.

"It's not that I don't like you," Mari began, finally gathering the courage to speak in a soft tone after what seemed to be nothing short of two and a half eternities. It was incredibly difficult for her to find her words.

Mohatu felt nothing other than his pulse beating rapidly. His heart was almost about to jump out of his chest. It's continuous beat was even louder than his own thoughts, as he realized he was finally getting an answer.

"It's just that I..."

"_What_?" Mohatu asked.

Suddenly, Mari began to feel much more nervous than the male lion ever did, as he begged her for an answer. She did not want to tell him her deepest secret, but at this point, her options were limited. The lioness twitched her tail and lowered her head before she began to whisper. "I'm not like that."

"Huh?"

"I haven't told anyone this yet but... I don't like lions..."

Mohatu flattened his ears and stepped back. If he had heard the lioness correctly, the conversation was about to turn in a completely different direction. "You mean-"

The lioness's eyes were fixed to the dirt below her paws. "I know I don't act like it... but I'm... gay."

Both felines felt the tension between them suddenly disappear, as any sort of possible romantic relationship was quickly thrown away and set on fire like the jungle.

"Please don't tell anyone. I… I haven't even told my mother about this yet," the lioness continued.

"Oh, okay," Mohatu replied easily, more surprised than anything. Although he was saddened by the fact that Mari wasn't romantically attracted to him, he was more than relieved to know that it would never be because he wasn't good enough in her eyes.

He could forget about it.

And, perhaps in all reality, that was what he needed. He would be able to focus on the task ahead, without letting his feelings for Mari get in the way.

Mohatu also took solace in the fact that Mari probably felt a bit of relief as well. Oddly enough, he suddenly felt closer to Mari than he ever had before. She didn't trust many lions, obviously, but the fact that the lioness confided to Mohatu must have counted for _something_. She may not have loved him, but she apparently viewed him as a close friend.

That was just as important.

The two big cats continued to sit still, looking at one another with the most awkward expressions known to lionkind. "Yeah…" Mari finished.

Mohatu chuckled slightly. It wasn't the best outcome, but it certainly wasn't the worst, either. "You didn't have to wait all this time to tell me that," he replied.

"Well, I could say the same," Mari sighed.

"No... I mean, it's no big deal," the lion corrected himself. "It doesn't matter to me. I thought you were going to say something that was actually _bad_."

"We're still friends?" Mari asked.

"Yeah," Mohatu answered, raising his paw into the air. "It's cool."

Mari lifted her paw up in the air as well, placing it against Mohatu's in a high five. "Good. Let's get started, then."

The nervous state of euphoria he had been in faded away, and the lion immediately began to open his senses to the reality of the situation once again.

"We've got another long day ahead of us," Mohatu added breathlessly. As the lion suddenly noticed the morning sun scorching the land as far as he could see, he began to wonder why he accepted such an arduous mission to begin with.

"Indeed," Mari sighed. "And I don't have breakfast this time, either."

The lioness looked up to the bright yellow sun, which nearly blinded her vision. "Y'know, I don't think we'll be eating anything for a while. We _are_ in the Badlands, after all..."

"Well, that's all the more reason to get to Lea Halalela sooner."

"Lead the way, then," Mari awaited impatiently.

Mohatu paused for a moment. Something clearly wasn't right, and he knew that much for sure. "What makes you think _I_ know where this place is?" the lion asked. "You know, I kinda thought..."

A deep chill ran down Mari's spine. Suddenly, she realized she had much more explaining to do, and it would not be easy. It was a task she dreaded much more than attempting to find Lea Halalela itself.

"What?" Mari asked hesitantly, hoping he wouldn't beg the ultimate question.

"You wanted my help," Mohatu said neutrally. "If it's not because you like me, then why? Why am I even here? Why _me_?"

Mari closed her eyes in distress as a gentle breeze grazed around her fur. That was the question she could not answer. "It's just an instinct, really..."

"I don't get it, though..."

Mari chose her words carefully. "I wish I could tell you," she replied, shrugging slightly.

"You don't know any more than I do?" the lion asked.

"I'm afraid I don't. That's why we need to get to Lea Halalela. Perhaps we will find answers there."

"But... you must have known _something_," Mohatu insisted. "That's why you persuaded me to do this in the first place."

"Look," Mari continued with frustration. She was growing angry with her inability to explain herself properly, as well as Mohatu's constant inquiries. "How do birds know how to fly? How do fish know how to swim? I don't know... I don't think anyone knows. Some things are just innate."

"What are you suggesting?" Mohatu asked with a distinct tone of curiosity.

"I don't know how, but something told me _you're_ the one that could help us," Mari explained. "There _is_ something special about you... it's just... I have no idea what that is."

The lion scratched his mane. "Hmm..."

"Please, let's just go," the lioness begged. She was unarguably having a horrid morning already.

Finally, Mohatu placed the flower gently on the sand, hoping Mari didn't ever see it to begin with. He had almost forgotten that he carried it with his paw. As he let it go, it stood upright in the sand for a second, before falling to the relatively relentless gusts of wind.

Without even looking, the mere thought saddened him. Yet, he tried his best to hide it, especially in front of Mari. The least he wanted was to make _her_ feel bad for telling him the truth.

Instead, the lion's head scanned across the horizon, taking in the scenery surrounding them. "You are right, though," Mohatu agreed. "There's something about this place… it just seems so familiar. Like I've seen this before."

"Well, do you know which way to go?" Mari asked.

"It's… ugh… that way," he answered, seemingly pointing his paw in a random direction.

The lioness was quite hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"No. But… I think I know what Lea Halalela looks like."

"You do?" Mari asked, perking her ears up with interest.

"Yeah. It's like a group of mountains made of sand-colored rock, surrounded by sand. I saw it in a dream… or something. I told you about that."

"So, what makes you think it's this way?" Mari asked curiously.

The lion scratched his head, beginning to question his own reasoning. Not after long, Mohatu managed to rationalize his initial intuition as he visualized the location in his mind. "Because the shadows line up."

"Huh?"

"The right side of the mountains were darker than the left, and the sun was going down, not up," Mohatu clarified easily. "This means that I saw the mountains from the South, which also means they are North of us."

"Oh…"

"The strange thing is, you just said you have a feeling I can find this place, and yet now you're arguing with me about it. What is this, I don't even…"

"Please. Stop." Mari commanded dryly. "I wasn't trying to argue..."

Mohatu rolled his eyes as a light groan escaped his muzzle. "Lionesses…"

"Okay, you know what?" Mari asked rhetorically, obviously hearing Mohatu's shallow comment. "Fine, I trust your judgment. Just forget about it. We have a job to do."

Mohatu stretched out his forepaws, before beginning to walk along the familiar path. He remained silent, unwilling to engage in a pointless argument. Apparently, he had done enough to irritate her already.

"Would be nice to have some water, though…" Mari whispered, following behind the larger lion. She tried to keep a respectful distance, without falling too far back into the sandy void.

"Yeah," Mohatu agreed, rubbing his dry tongue across the back of his teeth for the thousandth time. Of course, there was quite a bit of sand stuck in his jaws as well, which added a hint of crunchiness to the sensation.

* * *

As the hours of the early afternoon began to pass, the lion only began to feel numb with each successive step. On the outside, his muscles were sore and tired. On the inside, his guts were nearly as dry as the sand itself.

Yet, in a strange way, he also began to feel free. He was no longer weighed down by the burden of wondering what would happen if she knew. She did know, and while the answer he received wasn't the one he wanted, it was still an answer, nevertheless. He could move on with his life.

But would he? As history had already proved, he needed her, and she needed him. The two adventurous felines were definitely not in the smoothest of situations, and their companionship had been necessary to pull through.

However, for reasons she did not wish to explain, Mari's reaction was quite different. She wasn't comfortable with what she said, but she had no other choice. Eventually, Mohatu would see through to the pure, raw truth: he was her weapon; nothing more, nothing less.

She wasn't proud of that thought, but in the back of her mind, Mari knew it was what she had to do. Some lion needed to set things straight, and being the capable warrior that Mohatu was, he was the perfect candidate.

As the duo walked further through the sandy void ahead, Mohatu couldn't help but feel a strange sympathy for the lioness. Just by the way she carried her tail, Mohatu knew that she was at her worst. Narisah's death wasn't her low point, nor were any of the nights they spent away from their pride. It was this.

Mohatu stared back at the lioness for a minute, wondering only what to say.

He had already made it clear that it was okay. Obviously, she could not control the fact that she wasn't attracted to him, any more than he could control that he was attracted to her. It was senseless to view her any differently because of it, and she had even agreed to that, albeit indirectly.

But she was quiet—unusually quiet. She was just walking, mindlessly and effortlessly. Every step was only a habit: nothing more than a continuation of the movement before it. The lioness's actions were no longer deliberate.

Eventually, Mohatu gathered the courage to speak up. "It really is fine... I mean, I don't..."

"It's not that," Mari replied quickly. "I'm just really thirsty."

The lioness's words only forced Mohatu to nod and turn back around to the path ahead.

For hours, it looked as if they were about to run into water, but the dark, reflective spots on the horizon were only mirages. It was almost mesmerizing in a way, just watching the soft, wavy motions of the blur caused by the intense heat.

The water on the horizon was never real, and the lion's thirst would never be quenched. But despite knowing this, Mohatu could not take his eyes away from the mirage.

"I'm thirsty too," Mohatu added, after his gaze returned to the horizon. The false image of water was only teasing both of them, and they were well aware of it.

"If that is actually water over there, we should be seeing something _green,_" Mari stated with a raspy voice.

"I know. But still... I'm pretty sure this is the way we're supposed to go... even if it is misleading," Mohatu clarified, never slowing his pace or changing his path.

"If you say so," the lioness agreed. While Mari had navigated through the Pridelands easily, she knew little in regard to the Badlands.

Her only hope of survival was Mohatu. Mari was almost _certain_ that Mohatu's visions would guide him through Leo's paw prints. She wasn't going to dispute his internal compass—in fact, it was the only compass she trusted.

Unfortunately, as the duo continued walking, a sudden grain of sand shot into the lion's eye. He winced for a moment, before stopping completely to rub his face with his paw.

As Mari caught up, a second barrage of sand hit the two lions in the face. Mohatu turned his head to the side to protect his eyes and ears, while Mari buried her face into the brown lion's mane.

As the gust stopped, Mohatu reopened his eyes and scanned across the horizon. An entire wall of dust and sand stretched all the way from the ground to the sky, covering half the horizon and approaching at an alarming rate.

A sandstorm was brewing, and there was nowhere to run.

Quickly, Mohatu pushed a mound of sand aside, before leaning into the depression he had created and covering his face with his forepaws. "Get down here," he commanded to Mari with a muffled voice.

The lioness hesitated for a second, but as she realized what was about to happen, she had no trouble convincing herself it was for the best. Before the next cloud of sand flew across the air above, Mari buried her muzzle under the lion's paws, protecting her face in Mohatu's thick but tangled mane.

The two lions were only barely protected from the elements, as a living hell within a living hell began to ensue in the air above them. The sandy bullets felt like needles poking into their skin, even with their protective layers of fur. Fortunately, they had managed to create a small degree of shelter, and not a moment too soon.

Unfortunately, nearly an hour passed before the winds finally began to die down. Obviously, it would have been an absurd understatement to say that the sandstorm was quite large. Before it passed by completely, Mari had almost fallen asleep awkwardly in the lion's paws.

Sadly, he knew all too well that the sentimental tenderness he shared with Mari was little more than a mirage.

* * *

A/N: I'll admit, this chapter was a bit too sappy for my tastes, but hopefully I haven't overdone it.


	14. Bad Lion

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 14: Bad Lion**

As the prolonged gusts of wind faded away completely, not a single drop of energy remained in the atmosphere. The ambient air was dead silent, and the horizon was left with an unnatural stillness.

Mohatu barely moved, causing the lioness beside him to snap back into consciousness. She had been resting in the lion's mane for quite some time, up until the sandstorm passed completely.

While the lion stood up, he twisted his head to the left and right, letting the sand drain from his ears and pile onto the ground. The amount of sand that ended up everywhere was almost amusing, but to a greatly irritating degree.

Mari backed away slowly, shaking the sand out of her coat of fur, before yawning with enough force to knock a bird out of the sky. As she looked up to the bright, lifeless sun above, she almost felt the exhaustion of death pull her back to the ground.

Likewise, Mohatu nearly stepped forward for a moment, but as the lion tried to orient himself, he only felt the urge to lay down again. With each passing breath, it became increasingly difficult to gather the strength and courage to push forward.

After going much more than a day without water, neither of the two were feeling hopeful.

Suddenly, the lion collapsed, turning over on his side. As the world tilted sideways, he allowed one eye to remain open, while the one closer to the sand rested.

"We have to get to Lea Halalela," Mari insisted lethargically. Her words carried little meaning, as her front paws stretched forward into the sand. "Or we could just die out here," she continued, whispering an alternative suggestion, which almost sounded preferable based on her tone of voice.

As the lions began to rest again, a strangely condescending but familiar voice seeped through the air, almost on cue. "I told you, you'd _never_ make it."

Mohatu rolled his eyes in vain, as Algenubi's words echoed through his head. Of course, the king always managed to show up at the most inconvenient of times, and this was hardly an exception.

"Although, I suppose I am obligated to give you credit for trying," the ghost continued. "It's entertaining, really."

The lion groaned, wanting nothing more than to slap the ancient king across his face... if, in fact, the king even had a face. He was merely a figure in the sky, not bounded by any sort of leonine body.

As Mohatu realized this, his attitude changed quickly. In his dreams, Leo was not afraid to challenge the king. In fact, the ghost was almost entirely powerless. Mohatu grinned, beginning to wonder if Algenubi would react the same way that Zosma did.

Meanwhile, Algenubi continued to talk down to the lion. "You know, I'm surprised you actually did this. You don't actually think you're the prophet anymore, do you?"

"Don't listen to him," Mari pleaded, interrupting the ghostly figure's words hesitantly from her position in the sand.

"You never were. You're going to die out here, Mohatu. Just like the rest of them. Years ago, perhaps the title of king could have been yours, but not anymore. You lost... and to think you were going to get a second chance! What a joke!"

Mohatu opened his other eye. "What are you talking about?"

Algenubi's maniacal laughter only grew louder. "You just don't get it, do you? Oh, good! I'd rather not ruin the surprise for you."

"Shut up," Mohatu commanded with a weak voice.

Algenubi's voice lightened considerably, as he began talking to Mari. "Perhaps there's something you want to tell your friend, hmm?"

"No! Whatever you think this is about, it's not like that!" the lioness interjected, covering her eyes with her paw. She hid her head in the sand, trying to shake the thought away.

"You hear that, Mohatu? She would rather watch you bask in your own ignorance, than tell you what you _deserve_ to know."

"It's not true!" Mari cried, trying to deny everything outright. Based on the intensity of the emotion in the lioness's words, she was more than likely lying.

But Mohatu didn't care; he had no reason to. He had seen for himself what the kings of the past had done to Rex; he had little reason to believe anything that escaped the ghost's cloudy muzzle.

"Stop this!" the lion demanded, finally having the courage to stand up again.

Consequently, the ghost scowled, immediately taken back by Mohatu's change of attitude.

Mohatu looked back at the lioness, thrashing and tearlessly crying about in the sand like she was having a nightmare. "If she has something to tell me, she'll tell me on her _own_ terms," he stated simply.

The ghost's jaw dropped for a split second. "What?"

"That's right," Mohatu replied. "I know what you're trying to do."

Mari stopped moving. She looked down at her paws for a moment, silently thanking Mohatu for standing up for her, even though he was actually making the wrong decision. To some extent, anyway.

The ghostly lion brought his cloudy paw up to rub his brow. "...seriously?"

"I don't believe you," Mohatu retorted. "Mari is my best friend. She's not going to hide anything important from me."

Mari looked away, closing her eyes with guilt. If she had a drop of water left in her eyes, a tear might have fallen on the sand below her muzzle. Fortunately, that was not the case.

Meanwhile, the ghost stood still, completely baffled by the situation. "You're _stupid_," he concluded, before disappearing beyond the horizon. "You will learn the truth eventually... if you live long enough."

As the king in the sky disappeared, Mohatu stepped beside the lioness and nuzzled the back of her neck, signaling that everything was okay.

"Thanks," Mari replied gratefully. The lioness got back up on her paws, but still refused to look Mohatu in the eye.

"I don't know what that was all about," Mohatu sighed, pushing a wall of sand beside him with his paw nervously. "I don't know what we did to deserve this."

Mari took a deep breath, before looking up at the sandy brown lion. "Did you..." she began to ask, but her voice faded into a whisper and eventually silence.

Mohatu stepped back? "Huh?"

"Did you really... mean what you said?" Mari struggled to ask her question again. In reality, she knew the answer, but for the sake of her own sanity, she pretended that she didn't.

"Of course I mean it," Mohatu replied, not giving it a second thought. "What happened this morning doesn't change anything."

Mari closed her eyes, before looking back down at the ground. "Well... you're a pretty good friend too," she replied, mainly out of guilt.

Yet, as Mari began to reflect on her words, she realized there was more truth in them than she cared to admit. Mohatu genuinely was a good friend, for the most part.

The ghost, however, was right: Mari _was_ hiding something very important from the lion, and she certainly wasn't the flawless lioness Mohatu seemed to think she was. She knew it; he didn't.

But, before the lioness had the time to wallow in her guilt, she suddenly found her back against the sand, with Mohatu pushing her down to the ground. The lioness's eyes jolted open, and her heartbeat accelerated. She immediately wondered what the lion was doing.

The lion had her pinned down playfully, with a grin on his face. "Relax," he said quietly, after waiting for the lioness's mind to catch up to reality.

For several seconds, Mari only looked up at him in silence.

"You're too tense," Mohatu replied, bringing his head lower to the ground to nuzzle her. He almost chuckled, but his lack of saliva irritated the back of his throat too much. "I'd _never_ turn my back on you... not in a time like this. Not after all we've been through."

He knew all too well that the lioness was incredibly anxious about something, and he only wanted to make it clear that she had no need to be.

Mari grinned slightly, before pushing him off gently with her hind legs. "I appreciate what you've done, but..." Mari replied, although her voice fell silent. "Nevermind. You wouldn't understand."

Mohatu ignored her unfinished statement, and proceeded to continue the journey with a new surge of energy. Although he was incredibly tired and thirsty, listening to the former king harass him and his companion gave him the will he needed, to fight back against the cusp of death. In an odd way, it proved to be rather motivating.

"What if we make it to that tree over there?" Mohatu asked, pointing to a strange green figure on the horizon. "Maybe we can crack open a fruit... and..."

"Yeah, okay," Mari replied distantly. It took the lioness a while, before her mind actually registered what Mohatu had said. "Wait, that's a-"

"What?" Mohatu asked.

Mari's tail shot up in the air with a burst of hope, happiness, and relief. "We're going to live! That's water!"

Mohatu smiled as well, as a small lake began to form on the horizon behind the tree. For the first time in days, he saw the green leaves of an adansonia tree. It was utterly beautiful, beyond being describable with anything less than the most divine words.

Immediately, Mari frolicked through the sand, until she reached the base of the tree. From there, she sprinted directly toward the waterhole, eventually submerging her entire face in the calm, clear pool of liquid.

Moments later, the larger lion appeared beside her, lapping up several liters of water with his tongue.

After several enormous gulps, the lioness turned around, walking back over to the tree to sit in the shade. As she relaxed on the grass, she couldn't help but feel more satisfied than she had ever felt before. She turned over onto her back, looking up at the sky with pleasure before breathing the happiest sigh ever heard by a feline.

Likewise, Mohatu followed, sitting down on the other side of the tree. A pleasant yawn escaped him, while he began to ponder the situation from a comfortable napping position.

Naturally, his mind focused on Mari once again.

Even after all the hours he had spent thinking about her since that morning, he found it rather difficult to believe what she had said, given the way she had flirted with him before. The situation only caused Mohatu to assess his own perception.

Had she, at one point, liked him, but changed her mind? Did she lie and say she was gay to prevent him from feeling bad, because of it?

Or, was she only being nice the whole time? Was Mohatu just _imagining_ that she liked him? Both situations seemed equally plausible.

While she was certainly hiding something, Mohatu doubted it was of any significant importance. Heck, she probably just didn't want him to know he smelled bad.

As the lion closed his eyes, he only wished she had said something different. She was indeed his best friend—his only friend, even—although he could not help but to desire something more.

She would never see him in the same light that he saw her, and while that probably wasn't his fault, it did not help to ease his mind. Despite the lioness's carefully chosen words to soften the pain, she had rejected him, plain and simple.

Nevertheless, he would deal with it like a lion. Before Mohatu dozed off to sleep, he quietly promised himself that he would continue to treat Mari as a friend, and never bring the topic up again. It was the least he could do.

After all, if she was happy, then he was happy.

Unfortunately, that philosophy failed rather quickly, for she did not seem happy.

The lion rolled over in the grass, trying to make himself more comfortable after an incredibly short attempt at napping. He looked over at Mari's relaxed form, breathing in and out slowly with closed eyes and a wide grin on her muzzle.

Perhaps she did seem a _little_ happy without him.

Mohatu looked down at his paws restlessly. He wanted to ignore it. He wanted nothing more than to forget that the thought had ever crossed his mind to begin with. She didn't need him. She never needed him, except that one morning he fought and killed Usama.

He was only following her for some strange reason, which he could not even _begin_ to comprehend. Whatever the reason was, she did not seem comfortable speaking about it.

Perhaps _that_ was her secret? Could it have been possible, that her secret was the true reason why she brought Mohatu along on her quest?

The more he thought about it, the more questions Mohatu began to ask himself. He had been rescued by this lioness's pride, and in a matter of days, accepted into her pride as one of them. That wasn't normal!

They sent him out on a very important mission, for reasons he barely even understood. Why was her pride—who barely knew him—counting on him to be their savior? It was peculiar, no doubt, but there was more beneath the surface as well.

If Mari wasn't attracted to him, then what the hell was it that made him so special?

Of course, he was a warrior, and that may have had a lot to do with it. But, Mari specifically stated that her goal was not to kill Rex. What he was doing was sneaking around, not fighting. His skills weren't being put to good use.

Yet, the lioness acted like she needed him.

Why did she really need him? Why was it so important that _he_ went to Lea Halalela? These were questions Mohatu could not answer in the slightest, but Mari acted like she knew. That had to be what she was hiding.

But still, the lion could only guess what lurked in his future. Did he have the potential to be the king of the Pridelands? Was that his destiny, which had been predetermined by the kings of the past?

Did Mari even know what was truly going on?

Perhaps, if Mari could not, Algenubi _could_ see beneath the surface and into the truth. The ghost certainly seemed to know something he didn't.

Regardless of whichever way the lion thought about it, Mohatu's only hope was to follow the lioness. He would only learn the whole truth by getting to Lea Halalela. Fortunately, she was taking him there.

Mohatu stretched out his paws, obviously realizing he wasn't going to sleep. As his eyes scanned across the horizon, he began to wonder if he should seek the truth, or move on instead.

Sooner or later, Mohatu would have to follow his own path. He would have to live his own life, which would mean creating his own pride. He lost his family, so he had not much of a choice but to create his own. Perhaps he could find a place outside the boundaries of the kingdom, and find a lioness with priorities _other_ than committing suicide by facing the unstoppable.

Then, he would have his own territory, his own life, and someone important to share it with.

The lion kicked a rock into the adjacent tree, to calm and ease his mind while he tried to cope with his thoughts. A heavy sigh escaped the lion's muzzle, as he forced himself to come to terms with the situation.

Simultaneously, he began to hear a strange rustling sound from the baobab tree's branches.

Mohatu looked up immediately, after noticing the lack of wind. There was nothing to cause the branches to move. As a matter of fact, it almost seemed as if a creature was occupying the branch above.

"Ouch!" Mohatu yelled, as the hard shell of a fruit fell directly onto his head.

Suddenly, Mari's ears jolted up, as she looked over to Mohatu. "What happened?" she asked, both curious and worried.

Mari's question was answered by the strange voice of an unfamiliar creature. "Haha! Bad lion!"

Meanwhile, three more shells fell down on the lion, rolling off of his manefur and down onto the ground. One even hit Mohatu's head with enough force to crack, leaving sticky, wet trails of fruit juice running down behind his ear and over his muzzle.

Mohatu placed his forepaw over his head to protect himself from the continuous and annoying barrage of falling fruits and nuts. "Hey! Stop that!"

"This be _Rafiki's_ tree!" the baobab-dweller replied, revealing himself to be a vibrantly colored baboon from behind one of the branches. "It be _mine_!"

Mohatu shook his head, while rolling his eyes in the process. Although he was frustrated by the baboon's antics, Mohatu was trespassing, after all. "Okay, okay... I'll go somewhere else."

The lion lifted himself up, preparing to walk away before the creature jumped down. As he heard the rustling in the grass behind him, he turned around to meet the baboon eye-to-eye.

In the palm of his hand, the mandrill carried a long weapon, crafted from nothing more complex than a stick. Three fruit shells were tied to one end, which began to rattle and clank as he waved his weapon through the air in an odd display of bravery.

Mohatu sighed, upon seeing the monkey's idiotic-looking fighting stance. "Please stop," he begged with a slight tone of irritation.

"Back away!" Rafiki continued. "Rafiki know kung-fu!"

"Alright! I'm leaving!" Mohatu replied, walking back in the direction of the wasteland. "I don't want any trouble."

"Go on! Get out! Haha!" the baboon began laughing, as he swatted the lion's flank with his stick.

In consequence, Mohatu stopped dead in his tracks. The baboon had crossed his boundaries. Quickly, the lion turned around and growled at the creature behind him.

The colorful mandrill backed away slightly, holding his stick right up to the lion's muzzle. "Ooooh... bad lion!"

Mohatu swiped the stick out of the baboon's hand, throwing it onto the ground beside him.

Without his weapon, the monkey began to step back again, trying to keep a safe distance from his opponent. However, it was not long before Mari interrupted the two males. "Stop this," she sighed, scowling at both.

Rafiki took yet another step back, obviously not trusting either of the two lions.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you," the lioness continued, using her calm and persuasive voice to her advantage. By the way she spoke, she sounded as if she couldn't even hurt a fly.

Mohatu glanced over at the lioness, only to find that her eyes reflected the same sense of tranquility that she carried with her words. She was really good at that, no doubt about it.

"We're only looking for... something," Mari added. "Perhaps you could _help_ us?"

"You look here, you find nothing!" the baboon stated simply. "Nothing in Badlands!"

Mari looked away for a second, contemplating her next move. "Mohatu, give him his stick back," she commanded lackadaisically.

The lion did as he was told, albeit reluctantly, leaning down to pick up the stick between his teeth. Slowly, he walked towards the baboon, trying not to show any signs of aggression.

In a quick motion, the mandrill grabbed his weapon and took another step backward, approaching the safety of his tree.

"Look," Mari began to extrapolate with patience. "My name is Mari, and this is Mohatu," she explained, pointing towards the brown lion. "We've been traveling for a few days; we only came here to rest."

As the baboon turned his head, Mari continued to explain the situation. "I'm sure you know who Rex is, so I'll just get to the point: we're not on the best of terms with the kingdom. I believe he and his brother found... _something_ called Lea Halalela out here, and we need to know what it is."

"It's a temple of some sort, I think," Mohatu clarified.

Suddenly, the mandrill stood still for a moment. He then placed the end of his stick into the grass, resting his forearm against it. "I know why you are here. I know what you are looking for."

"Great," Mari's eyes lit up. "So you'll help us?"

"I have little doubt that you are no friend of the king," the mandrill replied wisely, dropping the silliness from his voice entirely.

Shortly after, he pulled his stick closer to his chest, before lowering his head and torso respectfully in a bowing motion. "And, as such, you are not alone in your struggle."

Mari smiled, winking over at Mohatu.

"There is a tomb not far from here," Rafiki whispered. "Leo and Rex visited it a year ago, but I do not think anyone else has been able to get inside. Perhaps _you_ could," he suggested.

The mandrill's tone held a very distinct, but oddly unidentifiable quality that sent a shiver down Mari's spine. Consequently, the lioness began to suspect that Rafiki knew what was truly going on. As she recovered from her initial shock, Mari eyed the monkey earnestly, silently alerting him not to say _anything _about it.

In his complete ignorance of the nonverbal communication between the two, Mohatu asked the baboon a question. "So... when are we going?"

"Tonight," Rafiki replied. "Make sure you rinse your scent away before you leave. Sometimes lions come out here. I do not want to be followed."

"Sounds good," the brown lion nodded.

"You are welcome to stay here until then," the mandrill added. "Rest is good; you may need some."

"Thank you," Mari replied gratefully, lowering her head in a similar bowing motion that Rafiki had shown.

As the monkey vanished back up into his tree, Mari stepped closer to Mohatu to whisper into his ear. "_That's_ how it's done."

"You know I wasn't going to hurt him," Mohatu sighed. "He was hitting me... and what else was I supposed to do about it?"

"I think he was just testing your patience," Mari explained. "In which case... you passed. Knowing Leo and Rex, he probably had bad experiences with other lions in the past... so he wanted to make sure you weren't like that."

Mohatu sat back down on the grass. "Fair enough, I guess," he replied, gazing over the grasses and beneath the surface of the waterhole.

Mari stepped away, speaking a bit louder as to not attract any suspicion from the mandrill. "I'll let you stay here... I think I'm going to go talk to him a bit more."

As the lioness began to walk away, another heavy sigh escaped Mohatu's muzzle.

Once again, he was alone. The air was silent, the winds were calm, and the water was devoid of all energy. There was nothing; nothing but Mohatu and his own thoughts.

Although it was difficult for him to realize it, the situation was finally beginning to lighten up. They had found water, and a crazy baboon to guide them further on their journey. The trip was actually going quite well; the worst of it had already passed. Lea Halalela was not much farther away, and he would have answers sooner or later.

But it was the outcome that began to frighten the lion. As a late afternoon cloud appeared on the lake's reflective surface, Mohatu began to reconsider what would happen in the future, if and when it would all be over.

Mari would obviously go back to live a simple life in the Pridelands with the rest of her family, but then what? If he could accomplish what she wanted of him, would he even have a place in her pride as a savior?

He tried to convince himself that Mari wouldn't push him away after that, but he knew he could not be sure. Although it seemed ridiculous, there was a slight chance that he would spend the rest of his life alone forever. He had nowhere else to go, and no one else to turn to.

Of course, if Mari left him after their journey ended, he would probably find another lioness eventually. He knew there was a place for him somewhere, but it was disappointing to know that he still had to look.

Dealing with such a situation was something every lion experienced at some point in their life, but knowing that did not help. No matter what he tried to think, nothing helped to ease the pain. Even hours ago, with the intense heat and his excruciating thirst, he had not been able to take his mind off the lioness.

She was one of the nicest lionesses he could imagine, and the impact she had on his life was certainly beyond being describable. Obviously, because here he was, going through all this crap, and risking his life for _her_ and _her_ pride without question.

As the lion looked back, he realized Mari was nowhere to be found. She had left him completely. When he wanted someone to talk to the most, she was not around.

Although, to be fair, if she had been around, he would not have said a word. There was no way in hell he would ever have told her what he was truly thinking.

It wasn't her fault, but even more importantly, he did not want her to feel sorry for him. It was beyond obvious that Mari was already upset about something else, and he knew talking about _his_ problems would only exacerbate that.

And, in truth, between Lea Halalela and king Rex, there was a much bigger problem at the tip of their paws. With the deceased kings watching over them as well, the entire predicament made less sense than a giant, hairless furball.

Even if Mari was hiding something big from Mohatu, she had to have her reasons. Mari wasn't the type of lioness to have any sort of malicious intent, and that, he knew for sure.

Mohatu rested his head above his paws, under the grasses. He was a strong lion. Although Mari's companionship was little more than an illusion, he could deal with it. It wasn't going to kill him.

But the king certainly could.

Even if he had nowhere to go after the fall of the kingdom, he would make it through somehow. It would not be healthy, and it would certainly not be a pleasurable experience, but he could do it.

That evening, Mohatu forced himself to accept the fact that he wouldn't be with the lioness of his dreams. But he also realized that it was no excuse not to be the savior her pride needed. Something much greater was hanging in the balance, and something certainly mysterious loomed in their path, which he tried to focus on instead.

A surprise was awaiting him at Lea Halalela, and he knew it. It was about kings and successions, no doubt, but little did he know he was about to be caught unaware.


	15. Aberrational Insight

A/N: Sorry for the late update. That was not my fault; you can blame FFN for not allowing me to do anything yesterday. :P

But, to be honest, I don't quite feel like this chapter is ready to be published yet. Even though I've spent more time working on it than any other except for the first, it still seems like more needs to be added. Nevertheless, I can't justify holding this back another week, as it's easier to read than quite a few of my previous chapters anyway.

This is, arguably, the most important part of the entire story. For the next five chapters or so, things are going to get chaotic, and after reading this, you'll know why.

This is where the story deviates from a typical heroic adventure and starts to get rather interesting. All of the first 14 or so chapters have been building up to this, so without further ado, I suppose I'll just shut up and let you read. :)

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 15: Aberrational Insight**

Mari approached the baboon's tree slowly, while Mohatu rested by the waterhole. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, and her time to speak to the mandrill in private was running out.

She had been keeping a secret from Mohatu for long enough. Ever since their journey had begun, the guilt ate her up inside, swallowing her heart in whole. It was an enormous weight on her shoulders, and as much as she wanted to tell her friend the truth, she knew it would have very serious consequences.

But eventually, he would discover his identity, one way or another. He would inevitably find out on his own, even if Mari never planned to tell him. Mohatu could not hide from his past forever.

But could he cope with knowing the truth?

As insane as the baboon seemed to be, the creature's advice was worth seeking. Rafiki's words seemed to carry an odd sense of wisdom—it was very peculiar, but certainly noticeable.

As a matter of fact, he more than likely _already_ knew the truth. If anyone could advise Mari, she knew it would probably be him.

As the lioness reached the base of the tree, she sat down. Her tail twitched about slightly, while she waited for the baboon to notice her. After nearly a minute, Mari lost her patience.

"Uh... Rafiki, is it?" the lioness's voice flowed through the air as she called for him. A small flock of birds left the tree, flying out into the orange sky.

"Mhm?" the mandrill asked, looking down from a branch in his home.

"I just want to talk," Mari admitted shyly. "I need advice."

Rafiki set his stick down, before gesturing for the lioness to climb up. "Come in," he invited, offering his hand to the lioness.

Mari took a quick glance at her surroundings, noticing that Mohatu appeared to either be sleeping or dazing off. Regardless, he was not paying much attention. As the lioness realized this, she approached the wide base of the tree, sinking her claws into its bark to climb up, before grabbing hold of Rafiki's hand with her forepaw.

To the lioness's surprise, the inside of the tree was actually quite roomy, once Rafiki had pulled her up. The base flattened out into several branches, which provided for several nice places to sit.

But, what was perhaps even weirder, was that many of the branches had strange markings on them, not all that different from those found in Algenubi's cave. However, they appeared to be hand-made replicas of the markings, made from an odd type of paint. They were not geometrically perfect carvings like those left behind by the ancient kings.

"Sit down," Rafiki suggested politely, bringing the lioness out of her trance of curiosity.

Carefully, Mari balanced her paws on one of the larger branches that she was sure would be able to hold her weight, after looking around.

Meanwhile, Rafiki focused his attention back onto a mixture of fruit juices that he collected in the shell of a tortoise. The baboon appeared to be making a strange sort of concoction.

"Umm..." Mari began quietly, eying the baboon's mess with a bit of interest. "So... what are you doing?"

"Redox titrations," the baboon answered easily. "Just need to get this out of the way," he continued, kicking the tortoise shell down onto the ground to clear up some space. "Sorry, it is a mess in here!"

"Yeah... that's okay," Mari replied, without keeping too relaxed. She had no idea what the mandrill even meant, but she was not curious enough to ask. Instead, the lioness decided to change the subject. "Well, I was kinda wondering what all you know about Lea Halalela and the kingdom."

"The _lion_ kingdom?" Rafiki asked, repeating the lioness's question in his head. "Pbbbah! Do I look like a lion to you?"

"Well, no..." Mari conceded, softening her voice slightly. "You said you know where Lea Halalela is, and you have all these markings up here. I sorta thought you might know more than I do."

"I see," Rafiki nodded, stepping away from the lioness for a moment. As he turned around, he picked a fruit from one of the branches above him, and cracked the shell by banging it against the enormous base of the tree. The fruit split in half, and Rafiki began drinking from part of it.

With the other half of the shell in the baboon's second hand, he began walk back towards Mari. "I will take you to the tomb of Zosma, but I cannot take you to Lea Halalela. There are too many lions at Lea Halalela. They are bad lions. If you want to know more, you must ask them!"

"Okay..." Mari muttered. That was going to be a problem, but she decided she would deal with it in the future.

"Is there anything specific you want to know?" the mandrill asked, placing the opened shell of a fruit in front of the lioness's paws.

"Well..." Mari bit her tongue. Although she was almost certain the baboon already knew the truth, she could not bring herself to tell him about Mohatu's purpose. It had been a secret from the very beginning; no one was allowed to know, outside of her pride. "It's..." Mari stuttered, suddenly having second thoughts.

"Is it about _Mohatu_?" Rafiki inquired. The way he said the lion's name almost seemed sarcastic, in a strange and subtle way. He leaned back, waiting for the lioness's reaction.

"Yeah," Mari answered quietly, looking down at the bowl of juice Rafiki placed in front of her. "You know who he is, don't you?"

"I know who he is," Rafiki replied. "But do _you_?"

"Of course I know who Mohatu is," Mari rolled her eyes. "It was my idea to save his life, and I'm the one who took the blame for killing him!" Mari almost scowled, as she began considering that the baboon even had the nerve to ask such a question. "How do _you_ know who he is? Nobody is supposed to know that!"

"I was surprised to find Leo alive, at first," the baboon admitted casually. "I thought you killed him... but you brought him here. You have changed him, and I now see the truth."

Rafiki paused for a moment, before speaking with a much deeper voice. "I know why you are here. You want to know what happened to your old friend. You are looking for the keys to the kingdom, and you are following the king to find them. Very clever!"

"Okay, so you know..." Mari rubbed her paw nervously on the tree branch, while she began to speak her mind. "Well, the problem is, he has no idea he was once king Leo. I used catnip to wipe away his memories-"

"Hah! You used _catnip_?" Rafiki nearly laughed. "There are better ways to clear a lion's memory!"

"Well... it was all we had," Mari explained. She let out a deep sigh, almost as long as a yawn. "I've been hiding that from him, ever since that day he supposedly... died. He really thinks he's this rogue lion named Mohatu... mainly because I _told_ him he was. What am I supposed to do?"

"He is the prophet, you think?" the mandrill inquired casually.

"Yes... I mean, I _think_ he is," Mari answered simply, curiously smelling the fruit Rafiki dropped by her paws like it was a foreign object. "It's because of me. All I'm doing is giving him an easy path to follow, to betray us all over again."

Rafiki shook his head, while Mari lapped up the sweet juice from the shell with her tongue. She knew it was probably going to make her sick later, but she did not want to be rude.

After several seconds had passed, she proceeded to ask another question by clearing her throat. "But... do you think he could find out on his own?" Mari inquired. "I mean, if it's _that_ obvious that he was king Leo, someone is eventually going to-"

"It is possible," Rafiki stated neutrally. "But it is better that he knows, if my opinion is what you seek."

"Oh God... I knew you were going to say that," Mari muttered, lowering her head onto her paws and closing her eyes. "I know... maybe keeping this a secret wasn't such a good idea, but... what have I done?"

"No secret can remain forever," Rafiki explained. "The longer you wait, the harder it will be for him to accept the truth."

Mari opened her eyes slightly. She knew that. As a matter of fact, she expected him to say that. After a moment of painful silence, she managed to gather the courage she needed to ask him the ultimate question. "But... if I tell him, do you think he will get mad at me?"

"Not as mad as he would be, if he finds out on his own."

Mari turned her head sideways, looking at the lazy lion sitting in the grass below, from behind a bundle of leaves. Mohatu appeared to be rather sad, gazing at the reflection of the sunset on the water.

"He already knows I'm hiding something," Mari informed the baboon. "I don't think he has any idea what it is, though..."

"Just tell him," Rafiki insisted. "He will understand."

"But, what if all his memories start coming back?" Mari asked out of fear. "What if he tries to take back what I took away from him, and reclaim his lost identity as the king of the Pridelands? Then what?"

"If he is no longer the lion he once was, then you have nothing to worry about," Rafiki replied.

"But he's still the prophet!" Mari retorted. "I can't take that away."

"That is true," Rafiki stated with a calm and elegant voice of wisdom. "But perhaps the kingdom is not what we think it is."

"Uhm... what?" Mari asked, looking up at the baboon with a puzzled expression. Her ears shifted forward slightly.

"It is possible the prophecy may have been misinterpreted."

"It's pretty straightforward," Mari argued, nearly scowling at the baboon. "The prophet is the king."

"Ah! But do we know who the true king is?" Rafiki forced Mari to continue.

"That would have been Leo..." Mari stuttered, struggling to think of an appropriate response. "But it's Rex now."

While Mari continued to think, Rafiki gestured for Mari to come forward.

As the lioness approached, he pointed at some markings that he had drawn on his tree. They were symbols and characters, all very similar to those found in the ancient tomb. Rafiki was pointing directly to an ancient message of some sort, and his odd smile suggested that he knew something the lioness didn't.

"Wait..." Mari interrupted. "You can read that?"

Although she sounded surprised when she asked, it wasn't too unbelievable considering that Rafiki somehow managed to learn the truth about Mohatu, all on his own. He was undeniably an incredibly wise creature, if a little aberrational at times.

"Somewhat, yes," the baboon replied. "Do you know what the prophecy actually says?"

"No..."

"The prophet is the lion to resurrect the kingdom beyond its former glory," Rafiki explained. He spoke very slowly, but very clearly, almost causing the lioness to shiver.

"Well... yeah," Mari nodded. "That would be Leo. Definitely Leo."

"Hah! But did Leo do that?" Rafiki asked suggestively.

"Yes, he did," Mari insisted. "He killed half our own pride to establish that kingdom, too."

"Then he was not the true lion king," Rafiki explained. His tone of voice made it quite clear that he was certain of that, which elicited a mumble of surprise from the lioness.

"But... how can you even say that?" Mari argued. "He thought he was the king."

As the lioness realized what she had said, her voice grew louder in frustration. "And, you know what? There wasn't a damn thing any of us could have done about it. Leo took over the Pridelands by force, and it was all we could do to stop him."

"But you haven't stopped him," Rafiki interjected.

"No..." Mari admitted breathlessly.

"Which means there is still a chance he is the true king."

"Exactly! If he knows that... there's no telling what he's going to do next. We'll be right back where we started." Mari insisted.

"No," Rafiki corrected the lioness politely. "Open your mind. There is more to being king than being a warrior... and a conqueror. You have not taken Leo's kingdom from him, but you have _changed_ him."

"What are you even-" Mari retorted, before being interrupted.

"The prophet is the lion to resurrect the kingdom beyond its former glory," Rafiki repeated himself. "The prophet would never kill his friends and let his family die to secure his position as the king."

"I wish I could be that optimistic," Mari replied bitterly, swatting her tail. She almost could not believe that the baboon had the nerve to be so ignorant. As she had already experienced, the kings of the past were rather evil, and any lion to follow their guidance would surely be evil as well.

"The prophet is the one to correct the mistakes of the ancient kingdom, not bring them back," Rafiki continued.

"I don't know what makes you so sure about that," Mari retorted, growing slightly angry with the baboon's strange persistence. He was certainly very stubborn with his beliefs.

"It makes sense, does it not?" Rafiki asked rhetorically. "Leo thought he was the prophet. It is possible that he misunderstood the prophecy, just as you have."

Mari took a deep breath, as the mandrill continued to explain his own interpretation of the prophecy. "By giving Leo a second chance to fix his mistakes, you are providing him the opportunity to become the true prophet... and the true king as well."

"This is crazy..." Mari replied, almost laughing at the baboon, despite her frustration.

"I know you know it is true," Rafiki insisted. "Since you decided to spare Leo's life, even after all he did, you must have known he can redeem himself."

Mari looked down at the tree branch below her. Although she could not believe it, the baboon almost had a point. "I didn't kill him because I couldn't," she tried to explain. "I had no idea the catnip was actually going to work as well as it did... honestly, it was just wishful thinking. I wanted him to come back... like the good old days..."

The lioness sighed again, while taking a break to examine all the strange markings on Rafiki's tree. "Okay, I'll admit it," Mari continued, while the baboon remained silent. "Part of the plan was to have him mindlessly fight for us, without him ever becoming aware of his past."

Although Rafiki tried to interrupt, Mari raised her paw. "But, back then, I didn't know about any of this stuff," she added. "And I'm still not even sure the prophecy isn't just a load of crap to begin with... although I'm beginning to think he's going to end up being the king no matter what I do. I mean, if he truly was the prophet, then... he still is. Which means the kingdom is still his."

"Exactly," Rafiki nodded calmly. "The kingdom was his, and it still is. You have not changed that, but you have changed him, and in doing so-"

"No, no, no!" Mari retorted. "If he finds out he was the king, and I took that away from him... do you know what's going to happen? He'd kill us all to take back what is his. Then, that's it! We're done! Extinct!"

"Then he is not the prophet," Rafiki answered simply.

Mari's jaw dropped as a result of the baboon's incredible persistence. "You really believe...?"

"Yes."

"So... what? The kings were evil. How does that even..."

"The kings of the past knew Leo had the potential to be the prophet. When he ventured out here, he discovered the prophecy, and attempted to exploit the power he was given. But Leo misunderstood the prophecy, just as you have. Leo was never the prophet—Mohatu is."

The baboon stood up, as his voice grew louder and more energetic. "You see, Leo saw his future self as the prophet, and created the lion kingdom. Mohatu will see his past as the king of a dying kingdom, and learn from his mistakes. In doing so, he will fulfill the prophecy... if the prophecy is true, of course."

"Dying kingdom?" Mari questioned irritably. "They're stronger than ever! We've been-"

"Hah! Strength is only a facade," the baboon replied. "Leo was the strongest lion in all of Africa, but you could have killed him. No king is invulnerable; no kingdom is infallible."

"Yeah, okay..." Mari admitted. "But I still don't think-"

"Mari," the baboon interrupted her softly, changing his tone of voice into a further state of seriousness. "I _witnessed_ the formation of the lion kingdom. I followed Leo."

Mari stepped back slightly. That explained how he knew as much as he did, no doubt about it.

"I, too, am curious as to what remains hidden under Lea Halalela," Rafiki added. "When I followed Leo on his journey, I could not figure out how he claimed to be the prophet. He could open the tombs, and he found the keys... but he was prone to the same mistakes the ancient kings made."

Mari raised a brow. "So... what? He was a false prophet?"

"Heh!" Rafiki interjected. "I thought I was crazy! I thought _I_ had misinterpreted the prophecy." The baboon threw his arms in the air, exaggerating his words like the delirious monkey he was. "I checked every script I could find! I even tried to open the tombs myself! It did not make sense. He was not the one... yet he was."

Mari nodded, waiting patiently for the mandrill to continue. After the monkey cleared his throat, he began to speak a bit softer. "But then... I realized the lion who finds the keys is not the prophet."

"He isn't?" Mari asked. "That doesn't make much sense."

"No!" Rafiki laughed. "The prophet is the lion to use the keys!"

"Huh?" Mari nodded with much less enthusiasm. "Do you know what they do?"

"The keys unlock the tomb of Regulus," Rafiki explained. "I do not know what is in there... it is a closely guarded secret."

Mari tilted her head slightly, while the colorful baboon continued. "I think it could be a nexus... a means of _connection_ to the ancient kings. A connection to the stars... and a gateway to the afterlife."

"Hmm?" the lioness questioned. "Like...?"

"Bah!" Rafiki exclaimed. "I am a baboon! I do not know!"

Mari rolled her eyes. "But you seem to know-"

"Sheesh! I will get to that!" The baboon paused momentarily, allowing himself time to remember what he was originally going to say. "At that point, I realized Leo was never the prophet. I knew he was going to die, because he was not the one. I thought the prophet would then be the one to kill Leo."

"And you think that's Mohatu?" Mari asked.

"Haha, not at first!" the baboon laughed. "I thought _you_ were the prophet!"

Mari lifted up one of her paws. "Me? I'm not-"

Rafiki shook his head. "But when I saw that Leo was still alive today, and that he had changed... I _knew_ he was the one after all. He is the prophet."

"But... how? How do you know that?"

"Leo gained the trust of the kings with his conquest," Rafiki explained. "They knew he was the prophet... and they worshiped him as the prophet. They liked him. They _understood_ him."

"Well, they don't like Mohatu," Mari interrupted. "Not after what I did."

"That does not matter," Rafiki replied quickly. "Mohatu is calm and passive; I am sure they do not like him," the baboon added, beginning to smile. "But since Mohatu is Leo, if he can accept his past, and reclaim his identity-"

"What?" Mari almost yelled. "No! No, no, no, no no! He's not going to be the king! I'll _die_ before that ever happens!"

Oddly enough, the baboon remained calm while he tried to finish. "If Mohatu can confront the ancient kings and prove that he is _still_ the prophet, even though he has changed, they will listen to his message."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Mari retorted. "We don't know that he _won't_ change back to the lion he once was. You're placing blind faith into something no one really understands... it's ridiculous!"

"If he changes back to the lion he once was, then he never was the prophet," Rafiki stated. "He must acknowledge and correct his past, not suffer it again. It is the only way."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Mari insisted. "This whole prophecy is crazy."

Rafiki scratched his chin for a moment, wondering how else to explain it. "Do you agree that the ancient kings are wrong in their beliefs?"

"Well," Mari replied slowly, "Of course I do. The kingdom needs to be abolished."

"Then, if not Mohatu, who else could convince them of that?" Rafiki asked rhetorically. "Mohatu was once Leo... he is capable of anything Leo once was. Since they thought Leo was the prophet, they will soon realize Mohatu is still the prophet. Eventually, they will get the message."

"That..." Mari began, "I still don't know. But isn't the prophet the king?"

"The prophet is the new king, yes," Rafiki explained. "The prophet is the greatest king: the king to correct the mistakes of the kings before him, and set an example for the future kings."

"So..." Mari's jaw remained open for a moment. "The prophecy is backwards? Instead of the prophet bringing a message _from_ the kings, the prophet brings a message _to_ the kings?"

"Yes," the baboon nodded. "And that message is yours."

Mari stepped back in shock. "Wait... _what_? My message?"

"You already know what it is. It is what you tell him."

The lioness pondered what her new friend had told her. As farfetched as it was, and as crazy as he seemed, it did make sense. "Maybe you're right," Mari breathed a sigh of relief. "But _what_ am I supposed to tell him?"

The lioness put on a strangely amusing, sarcastic face, while she tried to imitate herself telling Mohatu the truth. "Oh, hey, you know that lion I told you I killed? I didn't actually kill him, I drugged him with catnip to wipe his memory and that's how you got here, and that's why you're confused about everything. I've been lying to you this whole time so that you would fight for us."

Rafiki chuckled for a moment. "Look inside yourself, and you will find the answers," he suggested. "You know what your message is. You only need to know how to say it."

Mari looked down, suddenly finding herself feeling embarrassed by the situation. "You're right... this was _my_ idea. I was the one to do it, and I was the one to lie to him all this time. I'm going to tell him the truth," she insisted with a reluctant tone of guilt and sadness.

The lioness took a deep breath before looking around one last time, preparing to leave the tree. "He really is a different lion now... and maybe he can make things right. So far, his actions have proven that he isn't quite hell-bent on conquering all of Africa like Leo was."

Mari looked down guiltily, suddenly coming to yet another realization. "I think... he only wants to please me," she whispered, barely loud enough for the baboon to hear. The lioness shook her head, trying to clear that thought away.

"God," she sighed heavily. "I can't do this to him anymore. He needs to know."

Rafiki merely stood still, leaning against a tree branch, while Mari swiveled her hind legs around. With a giant leap, the lioness sprang away from the tree branch she stood on, and fell down onto the grass below with a thud.

While Rafiki watched, he began to notice the brilliant orange sunset across the horizon.

"It is time," he muttered, grabbing his stick again, and leaping down beside Mari. "I will not say anything unless you want me to," Rafiki added, as soon as the lioness looked back at him.

"I'll tell him," Mari whispered to the baboon. "I'll tell him tonight, after this."

"Mohatu!" Rafiki yelled at the sleeping lion from a distance. "Peeyou! You stink! Wash away your body odor! We go to ancient place now!" he said, shifting his tone of voice back into a sillier state of mind.

* * *

A/N: And that's Mari's secret, if you haven't already guessed. I didn't want to reveal it like this, but I also couldn't pass up the opportunity for a good Mari/Rafiki discussion. :)

While revealing the truth this way certainly made it a bit more confusing than I originally planned, most of the loose ends (if there are still any) will be tied up next chapter. Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait another week for that.


	16. Revelation

A/N: This is the longest chapter yet, so I'd recommend grabbing a cup of coffee and making yourself comfortable before you get started. As much as I wanted to break this into two parts, I don't think the content is long or heavy enough for that... so here it is. Enjoy the read. :)

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 16: Revelation**

Drops of water splattered through the air and onto the ground as Mohatu shook himself off. After more than a day of dying in the scorching hot desert sand, the chill of wet lionfur in the evening breeze actually felt somewhat refreshing. Despite his internal, hidden sorrow, he was cool, quiet, and ready to continue the expedition.

As Mohatu glanced over at the baboon and the soaked lioness beside him, the last sliver of sunlight fell beyond the dunes of the horizon. Vibrant shades of orange, pink, and red filled the heavens in radially striped patterns, forming bright, colorful bands across the evening sky.

Rafiki suddenly swung his stick around in the air to grab Mohatu's attention, appearing out of nowhere while the lion stared into the early night sky. "You follow Rafiki! He knows the way!"

Mohatu blinked his eyes, tilting his head back naturally. It was not long before he saw the crazy baboon began running across the grassland, using his stick as a third leg in the oddest motion the lion had ever seen.

For a few seconds, the two lions merely stared at one another. A dense and melancholic silence filled the air at first, but soon faded away, as Mari almost found herself chuckling over the baboon's antics. Eventually, the lioness turned away and stepped forward, following Rafiki's path. With a heavy sigh, Mohatu followed as well.

"Hurry up! You slow!" the mandrill teased.

Mohatu continued to walk at a slow pace, completely ignoring the baboon. Instead, he turned to Mari to ask her a question. "So... where did you go?"

Although the lion's question caught Mari off guard, she managed to answer rather quickly. "Nowhere, really. He just showed me his tree."

Mohatu nearly forced a laugh. "After all that?"

"Yes," Mari answered, remembering all that Rafiki had told her. "He's actually not as nutty as he seems."

Immediately after the lioness had finished her words, the mandrill intentionally began mumbling. Although neither of the two lions knew what the baboon was saying, it hardly mattered.

Rafiki lifted his stick up as he walked. "Asante Sana!"

"Squash banana!" the baboon continued, speaking even louder, but with a similarly catchy jingle.

"We we nugu! Mi mi apana!"

"Go figure," Mohatu sighed, focusing his attention back to the lioness. "Are you sure about that?" he scowled.

Mari rolled her eyes. "Well, I never said he isn't a _little_ nutty... I'm pretty sure he's just doing this for his own amusement," Mari exhaled loudly, shaking her head a bit. "But, I'm not a baboon... I wouldn't know."

"I guess," Mohatu replied simply. After several minutes of listening to the baboon talk to himself far off into the distance, he managed to think of another question to ask. "What did you want to talk to him about?"

Mari nearly stopped, as she looked down at her muddy paws. It took her quite a bit of time before she could think of an appropriate answer. She couldn't tell him—not yet. She wasn't prepared.

"I... ugh... I'll tell you later," Mari whispered carefully, continuing to walk through the sand. She almost felt a splash of relief, as she knew she would not be keeping her secret for much longer. For better or worse, he would know the truth before sunrise.

Mohatu merely shrugged. "Okay," he replied casually.

"We have a tomb to explore, so let's just stick with that for now," Mari continued, seeming a bit more confident after noticing Mohatu's lackadaisical response. It was comforting, in an obvious way, to know that Mohatu didn't care that much.

"I don't even think we're anywhere near it," Mohatu added. "It should be a giant, pyramid-shaped structure..."

The lion's comment caught Mari by surprise. "Do you think he doesn't know what we're looking for?" asked the lioness.

"Perhaps," Mohatu stated easily.

"I doubt it," Mari retorted. "I'm pretty sure he knows more about the whole kingdom than we do."

"We'll see, I guess," Mohatu admitted, as he looked across the darkening sand ahead.

They had left the grassy oasis behind, and the large dunes in their path seemed to all collapse into a depression, converging to a specific point below. It was not long before Rafiki disappeared entirely below the dunes, and down into the cavity.

As the two lions caught up, they noticed a large metal door, that was only barely exposed to the air. Not at all surprisingly, it contained the same patterns and markings from the tomb of Algenubi.

Rafiki approached the door, and began hitting it with his stick. "Open! Open! Open!"

"Open _sesame_!" the baboon commanded, hitting the metal door even harder.

After Rafiki took a second to catch his breath, he tried again. "Thou shalt open thy door!" he yelled, jabbing his stick into the vertical, rusted iron structure with all his strength.

Mohatu stopped in his tracks, glancing over at Mari. He was unsure of whether he should be amused or annoyed by the baboon's insanity. Quite frankly, either response was rational.

Mari shook her head, while Mohatu turned away and approached the mandrill. With a gentle stroke of his paw, Mohatu pushed the baboon aside.

The lion then analyzed the markings on the door for a moment, before slowly sliding his paw across to wipe away a layer of rust. Consequently, he revealed a spiral sun symbol, which was centered between the segments of beveled metals.

Mohatu looked back at Rafiki, who stood watching and waiting.

"I think I know how to get in," Mohatu stated, placing his paw right up onto the symbol. As he held it there for a few seconds, a loud rumble sounded from the ground below. Suddenly, the door slid down into the ground, causing sand to shift and fall on the trio.

"See?" Mohatu smiled contently at the other two, with plumes of sand falling from his mane. "I told you I'd get us in. It's easy as catching mice."

Mari did not reply; instead, she immediately began walking into the dark void that opened up inside the dune. She approached the tomb with caution, but the other two followed with a far deeper state of curiosity.

"This... looks familiar," Mohatu replied, with an eerie echo in his voice as he stepped into the underground structure.

Suddenly, the giant metal door began to close behind them. As it made a loud clanking and grinding sound, Mari turned around to try to stop it from closing completely. "No!" she yelled, with a deep sense of fear in her voice.

"Rafiki, give me your stick," the lioness commanded quickly. The door began to slide up, and she planned to keep it pried open with a rigid object.

By the time Rafiki reached the door, it had already closed completely. After a loud thunk, the grinding sound ceased. They were trapped, and there was absolutely no light.

"Dammit!" Mari exclaimed furiously. She began to step backward, trembling slightly from fear. "Oh God dammit..." she repeated a little quieter, speaking her mind as she tried not to bump into anything.

"Don't worry," Mohatu replied comfortingly. "It's fine. We just need to find a button that activates the lights."

"Wait a minute..." Mari retorted. "How do _you_ know this?"

"I don't know," Mohatu answered from the darkness. "It just feels like I've been here before. Deja vu, I guess."

Mari did not answer immediately, but from the sound of her breathing, she seemed to relax a bit. In all reality, Mohatu's vague recollection of a previous visit was hardly a surprise to her. Mari knew that he had probably visited the tomb before.

"Ah, that's it," Mohatu exclaimed suddenly, rubbing his paw against the wall. With an electrical flickering sound, every light ignited at once, illuminating all four walls and the entire roof with a warm, yellow tone.

Immediately, the lion ran to the center of the room, and found the same round hole that Leo had once fallen in. "This is _exactly_ like a dream that I had..." Mohatu stated, gazing all the way down into the void below.

Mari and Rafiki approached the lion, looking down into the gaping hole as well.

Mohatu smirked, beginning to explain all that he knew. "See, if you go down there, all the way to the bottom, and make a right, you'll walk down a passage. That passage leads to another passage, which crosses a pool of water with a crocodile, and on the other side, is the sarcophagus of Zosma."

"Hmm..." Mari replied wordlessly. She had little doubt that the lion knew what he was talking about. In fact, she almost considered blurting out the truth, right then and there.

But she didn't.

"Leo found the key inside that sarcophagus," Mohatu continued, looking down into the sinkhole-like structure. "Which means it probably isn't there anymore."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Mari answered truthfully.

"There's only one way to find out," Mohatu added, jumping down from the ledge. "Come on, let's go check it out," he told Mari, waiting for her to follow from below.

Mari hesitated for a moment, while the mandrill leaped down easily. He was a strange breed of monkey, after all; ascending and descending was essentially second nature to him.

But Mari wasn't quite as ambitious. She remained on the top level, where there was plenty of light.

"What are you waiting for?" Mohatu asked, while Mari continued to stand like a furry statue.

"Nothing," the hesitant lioness retorted, finally making the jump as well. After a loud thud, all three were on the bottom level of the structure.

Mohatu began to move, and another row of lights illuminated his surroundings on cue. Instinctively, the lion started to follow Leo's path to the sarcophagus, noticing that each passageway was exactly like he had seen in his dream. As he looked behind, Mohatu noticed that Mari and Rafiki followed him with similar expressions of awe.

"This is almost _exactly_ like the tomb of Algenubi..." Mari whispered, inspecting the walls of the barely-lit passageway. The entire tomb was covered with decorations, symbols, and writings, even on the roof of the chamber itself. "The layout seems a bit different, but these symbols... and the architecture... it's all the same."

Rafiki followed silently, rubbing his chin with his finger the entire time. He thought it best to keep his musings to himself, but neither of the two lions seemed to notice.

Eventually, Mohatu made his way to the intersection of the passageways. He continued following Leo's path, directly into the dark chamber that held the room of golden treasures. As he looked back for the other two, he noticed that Mari was keeping her distance.

"Come on," Mohatu said without patience.

Mari sat down, making it quite clear that she had no intention of going into the dark room. "You can go on without me... I'll wait here."

"Mari..." the lion groaned softly.

"You know where you're going," Mari replied. "You don't need me."

Needless to say, Mohatu was rather surprised by the lioness's stubbornness. Ever since they entered the tomb, Mari seemed to want nothing more than to leave it.

"What is it?" the brown lion asked curiously. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

"No," Mari replied simply, with an unusually bitter tone in her voice as she flattened her ears. She stood directly below a torch hanging from the ceiling, so her angst was certainly visible.

"Then come on," Mohatu insisted.

The lioness shook her head, sighing heavily. "...but I _am_ afraid of what might be hiding in the dark."

"Only me," Mohatu replied easily. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

Yes. Indeed, he was.

But Mari could not admit that. The lion's question caught her by surprise, as it became apparent that he really was clueless. She felt a sudden chill of nervousness before she finally replied. "What? You? No..."

"Then come on," Mohatu nodded. "I can assure you, there's nothing here but me, Rafiki, and a timid crocodile."

Finally, Mari stepped forward again with an exasperated groan, following her two companions into the lowest chamber. She gave up. "Fine. I'm coming."

As Mohatu stepped closer to the artificial pond, he heard the sound of the reptile slithering around in it. It was just like he imagined it to be in his dream. Likewise, the bold lion prepared himself, just the way Leo had done the year before.

As the scaly creature began to climb out of the water, Mohatu roared as loud as he could. Consequently, in less than a second, the crocodile began swimming back to his home, deep below the surface of the tomb.

It was, perhaps, his most effortless battle yet.

"Okay, that was weird," Mari replied, standing unusually close to her brown-maned companion. "I assume you _knew_ to do that?"

"Yep," Mohatu nodded confidently, as a series of lights conveniently illuminated the golden treasure on the other side of the tomb. "Now we just jump across."

"Simple enough, I guess," Mari added, following Mohatu as he leaped across the body of water and into the golden section of the tomb. Rafiki followed shortly behind the two, using his stick to get a running start and leap across the muddy sinkhole in the floor.

As Mohatu glanced around at all the shiny golden objects that littered the chamber, he found what he knew to be the sarcophagus of Zosma directly in the center. He approached with a certain lackadaisical walk, obviously having no fear.

Yet, something else caught the lion's attention. As he looked down on the muddy tile floor, he noticed several paw prints—the king's paw prints. At that point, he knew for certain that his dream was actually a memory of some sort.

Slowly, Mohatu walked up to the sarcophagus and pushed open the metal lid by leaning against it. As the decayed body inside opened up to the world for the first time since Leo had entered the tomb, Mohatu looked for the disc.

But it wasn't there.

"Damn," the old king sighed. "Leo took it..." he continued, having absolutely no idea that he was referring to his former self.

Mari looked away, instead shifting her focus to the many golden artifacts around them. "Yeah, I kinda thought that was going to happen."

"Great," Mohatu retorted sarcastically, closing the sarcophagus once again. "So what are we going to do now? What's the point of looking for the discs, if Leo took the others?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Mari replied. Instead of answering the lion's question directly, the orange lioness focused her attention on a long, slender object, plated in gold and silver. Curiously, she moved closer to smell it. "But maybe there's something else here, that could be useful... like this."

Mohatu turned around. "What are you doing... what's _that_?"

"No idea," Mari replied, before picking it up with her mouth. As she tried to carry it into the light, one end of it began to extend.

"Stop!" Rafiki commanded, finally speaking up after several minutes of keeping his mouth shut. "There is something in there."

The lioness stood still for a moment, allowing the mandrill to inspect the object she carried between her teeth.

Carefully, Rafiki grabbed the end that started to fall out, and gently began to pull on it. As a smooth, high-pitched metallic ringing sound filled the air, the object inside shone brightly in the light. Whatever was inside, it was highly reflective.

Eventually, the baboon carried the entire shiny stick in his hand, freeing it from its sheath. It was a sword: an elegant weapon, for a different type of warrior.

Rafiki pulled the weapon closer towards him, inspecting the incredibly fine blade at the end. He wiped his fingers across the length of the blade slowly, realizing that, without question, the weapon had been left in excellent condition. His eyes widened, as he admired his shiny new stick of doom.

Mari set the blade's sheath down on the shiny tile floor. "You can keep it, I guess. It's your reward for helping us."

Within an instant, Rafiki threw his old wooden stick down, and held the new one into his dominant hand. Briefly, he swung it around in the air, to get a feel for the weapon. Despite being made of a silver metal alloy, it was actually quite light in terms of weight. Rafiki was able to swing it quickly enough to make a sharp whipping sound, as the tip broke the sound barrier.

After a few seconds, the baboon grabbed the sheath, before setting the weapon down in its protective case with care. "Thank you," Rafiki replied honestly, bowing again to the lioness. "I will put this to good use."

Mari felt a nervous fluttering building up in her stomach, as she glanced over at the other lion. "I guess we're done here," she stated nervously. "Let's go."

"The way out is over here," Mohatu replied impatiently, before pushing a rock aside with his head.

Another plume of sand fell down from the surface, but he had opened up the chamber to the starlight. He moved aside and held the hidden door open for Mari and Rafiki, before following the two out of the temple.

As the trio returned to the dry, sandy desert, the hours of twilight fell upon them. The entire sky was glowing a purplish-blue with millions of stars.

"It is getting late," Rafiki replied. "It is time for me to return to my home. Perhaps our paths shall cross again sometime."

"It was a pleasure," Mari forced herself to smile back, despite her anxiety.

Before the mandrill turned around, he winked at Mari. "Oh, and good luck!"

The baboon then left the scene quickly, before Mari could even catch her breath. As Rafiki left the two lions alone once again, a deafening silence filled the air. Had it not been for Mari's thoughts, the night would have been calm and peaceful.

But she had no choice. Not anymore. She had to do it.

Mari's gaze shifted from the night sky to Mohatu's rough mane. As she began to speak, her eyes revealed only a sense of despair. "I guess I owe you an explanation..."

"What is it?" Mohatu asked curiously.

As he waited for an answer, he began to realize that whatever it was, it was upsetting her. The lioness's tone of voice in itself made him feel rather uncomfortable. "Please," he continued, "whatever it is, don't beat yourself up over it. I hate to see you like this."

Mari looked away for a moment, groaning in the process. "No... you deserve to know the _truth_."

"But... I don't understand," Mohatu stated ignorantly.

Mari picked her paw up and pointed roughly in the direction of the moon. "Exactly. Of course you don't understand—that's the problem. Let's go. I'll explain _everything_ this time. I promise."

"Okay," Mohatu mumbled, following in the lioness's path. "So what's this all about?"

Mari gulped, suddenly recalling the events of that night in her mind, as she prepared to explain herself to Mohatu. If she was actually going to tell him the truth, he had to know the _whole_ truth. She planned to tell him everything from her point of view, all from that critical moment...

* * *

A thick, dark layer of clouds and fog shielded the Pridelands from view. Occasionally, lightning struck, illuminating the ominous night sky above. Even from the promontory of Pride Rock, the massive downpour of rain completely blocked visibility across the horizon.

As Mari looked up, she saw two lions standing on the enormous rock, glancing over their kingdom in the storm. One shook the mist out of his mane, while the larger of the two lions almost glanced at her, but instead noticed a wet cheetah running towards Pride Rock.

"What are you doing here, Duma?" The king demanded. "It's just a storm."

The cheetah climbed up to Pride Rock as fast as he could. "I... I saw... the traitors, your highness," he replied, between his deep gasps for air. "They're here. In the Pridelands. Busar is with them."

The king shifted his attention towards his brother. "Rex, gather the knights above Pride Rock. We will make our stand here. Just as we planned."

"Yes..." Rex grinned deviously. He turned around and walked to the other side of the enormous rock with haste. "Soon, there will be no one left to oppose us!"

Leo's dark brown mane blew magnificently in the violent winds. As confident as he was, he felt something was not right as soon as his brother left. "Are you sure?" the king asked Duma. "I'm surprised he actually has the guts…"

"Now's the time!" Busar whispered to Mari and the other three lionesses below. With a sudden surge of energy, they all charged up Pride Rock, following behind the cheetah that almost gave away their camouflage.

Immediately after reaching the top of the promontory, Busar swatted the cheetah away, causing the smaller cat to fall down temporarily.

Duma quickly regained his balance on his paws. He backed away from the lions with his fur standing straight up like spines.

The cheetah exposed his clenched teeth for a moment, before running away as Busar focused on his son.

Two lionesses stood beside him on each side, after following Busar up Pride Rock. Mari and Kartitiki guarded his right, while Narisah and Irena covered his left.

It was five versus one.

"I would rather not fight," Busar stated. "But your actions have forced me to do this."

Narisah nodded in agreement, while a harsh rain began pouring down on the lions. "You have brought order to the Pridelands... but at what cost? Uhai is dead. Akila is dead. Iltani, Korrawi, Isis, Vasari... they're all dead. Half our pride is gone, just because of _you_!"

"Their deaths were necessary," Leo spat, glancing behind his shoulder. "Those who are worthy of ruling a kingdom serve _me_. Only the strongest can survive. This is the way it must be."

He hoped to see his knights behind him, ready for battle. Instead, he found no one. A deafening silence filled the moist air around him.

His brother was not in position above Pride Rock as he promised. The lion clenched his teeth together with incredible force as he came to realize what this meant. Rex had betrayed him. He was left to fight alone.

But he would _still_ take all the glory. His anger would fuel his strength in battle.

"This is your last chance, Leo," Busar taunted. "Stand down, or I will be forced to kill you."

Leo moved into his fighting stance, lowering his center of gravity closer to the ground. "You will not stop me!" Leo warned. "I am the king!" He watched each of the lions carefully, waiting for the perfect moment to make his first strike.

Busar inched towards his son at a snail's pace. In a split second, he turned to his right and winked at Mari. She knew what to do.

Leo had no space to move, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. His only choice was to attack first, and expose himself to the other four lions.

"It's over, Leo!" Mari taunted, moving confidently into position atop a boulder as lightning struck behind her. "This ends here. Now."

In a desperate move, the lion leaped straight forward, directly for Mari's head. The gusty winds and dim moonlight made observing him rather difficult, except during the frequent moments when lightning struck in the distance.

Mari ducked under the pouncing lion, and waited for him to land behind her.

Though Leo managed to sink one of his paws into Mari's back, causing the lioness to scream in pain, he gained too much momentum to hold on. The once arrogant and bodacious lion feared for his life as he slid off the wet rock below him.

Mari remained standing on the boulder, as the rain poured down on her wounded spine.

Leo began accelerating downward at a rapid pace, falling directly in the path of several rocks below. As he hit the first boulder, his body warped and twisted around it, before sliding off into an adjacent rock.

At last, he rested motionless, covered in an ever-expanding pool of blood. Though a dense fog hindered the pride's vision, it was quite clear that the king had fallen.

Mari jumped down and stepped over to the king's carcass. Seconds later, she and the other lions surrounded his dying body.

_Checkmate_.

The scarred lioness placed her paw above the king's muzzle, to feel his shallow breath. "He's still alive," she whispered. "He's breathing."

Mari then stepped back, gazing across the horizon to look for any more attackers. Her heart continued to beat faster than she had ever felt before, as adrenaline flowed through her blood in massive amounts.

Meanwhile, Karttiki began rubbing a copious pawful of catnip leaves over the lion's nose. She had to knock the lion out of consciousness for sure, and there was little time to waste. Although the king was already down, she had to be sure that he would not be getting back up anytime soon.

After scanning across the horizon, Busar verified that their plan was still in motion. "Hurry up!" he commanded. "Take him back before any lion notices. They could get here at any minute... I'll stand guard until you're hidden in the grass."

Each of the four lionesses grabbed a paw, and began dragging Leo's injured body down to the grasses below Pride Rock. With their combined efforts, they were able to carry him back to the jungle at a reasonably fast jogging pace.

"If he wakes up," Karttiki began, breathing heavily between steps, "We're screwed."

"Indeed," Narisah agreed. "Busar, have you found any more of them yet?" she asked, seeming surprised by the lack of resistance.

"No," Busar replied quickly. "This is too easy..." he replied, his voice growing quieter by the second. "They're letting us go," the old lion concluded, leaping down from the promontory. He began to follow the lionesses back into the jungle, protecting them every step of the way.

"Well, I'll be damned if this actually works," Irena added. "Mari, when we get back to the jungle... I think we owe you one."

The young lioness couldn't help but smile as she helped drag the lion across the stormy savannah. For the first time in her life, she felt absolutely certain that she had done something right.

* * *

"Remember how I said... _I_ killed Leo?" Mari asked.

"Yeah," Mohatu replied, listening carefully to the lioness's heavy words.

"Well, I lied," she stated bluntly. "I never did. I fought Leo, but only briefly."

"I think I was there," Mohatu added. "Leo attacked you, and that's how you got your scar."

"Yes... you remember, don't you?" Mari replied with a tone of surprise in her voice. She gazed deep into Leo's eyes, wondering if he could discover the truth on his own.

"Not really, I just have these... thoughts."

"Well, that's not important," Mari shook her head, before continuing her explanation. "You know, Leo was the best friend I ever had..."

"Uh-huh," the lion nodded, waiting for Mari to continue.

"Even after all he did, I couldn't just kill him. Like I said, he really wasn't a bad lion... I knew something happened to him when he left the Pridelands for a year."

"So... what did you do?" Mohatu asked.

Mari avoided the lion's question, continuing to explain the situation from a state of discomfort. "My plan was never to kill Leo to begin with. You know... I _couldn't_ do that."

"But, what happened to him, then?" the brown lion inquired.

"After I fought him, I took it upon myself to heal him. I tried to bring him back to life..." Mari added, her voice fading into silence as she continued to speak. "I tried to make him see things from _our_ point of view."

At this point, Mohatu was deliberately trying not to put the pieces together. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew what Mari would say next, but he would not allow himself to realize it.

Mari ceased her walking, and instead stepped closer toward the naive lion. She placed her paw above his shoulder. "You're not going to want to hear this, but you must."

"There was only one way to save Leo," she continued slowly, "and that was to wipe his memory clean. I give him a new life."

Mohatu cocked his head to the side. "You... did?"

* * *

Leo's contorted body sat beside a large palm tree near the pride's jungle hideout. Busar, Mari, Narisah, Karttiki, and Irena glanced at the resting lion, after dragging him into the shade. Together, along with the cub Uru, they were all that remained of their ravaged pride.

Busar knelt down beside his dying son, Leo. Slowly, he placed his paw above the old king's forehead, with dark shadows from the trees covering both figures.

The others watched intently as Busar spoke. "I'm sorry, Leo. If you are to blame anyone for this, please, blame me."

Narisah shifted closer to her mate. "It wasn't our-"

The lion blinked in an attempt to hold in his tears. "It _was_ my fault," Busar retorted. "I never should have let this happen to begin with. But I'm not the one who can fix this."

The old lion paused for a moment, breathing heavily before continuing. "Please... forgive us. Forgive yourself. You can make up for what you've done," he whispered to his unconscious son.

"Don't get too confident," Karttiki muttered sadly, preparing herself to speak the obvious. "He's pretty damn close to being dead. There's no way he's going to be able to help us like this."

"I think he'll be fine," Mari informed her pride, choking on her own saliva for a second. "He's still breathing; it looks like he just needs some rest." The lioness stepped forward slightly, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Come on..." she rolled her eyes. "He's Leo. If he survived the Badlands, he'll survive this too."

"Okay, maybe he _will_ be fine," Irena muttered. "And I really like your idea, Mari... but my only concern is... what if the catnip doesn't work? What if all his memories start coming back later? What if he finds out what we've done? What will we do then?"

"I'm afraid that's a risk we have to take," Busar added. "Look around. Look where we are. We're stuck in the jungle with nothing to eat but bugs, because we've been chased away from our home by my own sons. If this isn't our only hope, then I don't know what is."

Mari suddenly interrupted the older lions. "Well, I've been thinking... as soon as he's able to move again, what are we going to call him? Obviously, we can't have him know who he really is..."

"We will call him Mohatu," Busar declared, wiping his paw across his son's forehead to clean a partially open wound. "The savior."

Mari and Narisah were first to accept the idea. The two placed their paws above Busar's in agreement.

Karttiki and Narisah hesitated for a moment, before adding their paws as well. "It's settled then."

* * *

Mari tilted her head up slightly. "We gave him a new identity, while he was in and out of consciousness for several days. We started to call him Mohatu. Our savior," she explained. "From that moment on, Leo was dead... sort of. He was_ reborn_."

The lion's jaw lowered, and he temporarily lost his ability to speak.

"It's not what you think," Mari said desperately. "Please, you must understand... I didn't want to lie to you all this time. I didn't have much of a choice."

"Is this some sort of joke?" the former king asked. "I would never-"

"It's true," the lioness replied. "But you've changed since then. You're a new lion now, and..." Mari suddenly struggled to find her words, trying to remember the way Rafiki had phrased it.

"I..." Mohatu began, stuttering between every breath. "I don't even..."

Mari looked away. "The truth is, _that's_ why we're here," she admitted. "If you hate me for it, I don't blame you."

"But," Mari interrupted herself, speaking a bit louder, "I had no choice. I only wanted to give you another chance..."

"I just want to be alone for a little bit," Mohatu sighed heavily, after seconds of hardly breathing. It was all too much to think about at once.

The lioness nearly choked on her own words. "Oh... okay. I-I'll let you think about it. It's a lot... I know."

Mari then collapsed into the sand, as her friend walked off into the middle of nowhere. Even though she had told him the truth, he was still just as lost and confused as he had ever been.

This would be the former king's ultimate test—and it would be Mari's as well.

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure exactly how long this story is going to be, but this is somewhere around the halfway point, right here. I know, I know. This is a long story.

Now, considering that, I have something to say that I probably should have said all the way back at the very beginning. Like The Lion King was inspired by Hamlet, and Simba's Pride was an adaption of Romeo and Juliet, the general outline of this story was primarily influenced by the award-winning video game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

To make it very clear: I do not own that franchise either (obviously), and I am not taking credit for the plot idea. If I actually owned anything, I wouldn't be uploading my stuff here, lol.

I did not want to reveal that at the beginning, because it would completely give away the plot twist for anyone who has played the game before, or anyone who is curious enough to Google it and read half a Wikipedia article. That being said, if you haven't played the game, I highly recommend it if you're into that sort of thing. Too bad I've spoiled the best part. :P

I can assure you, though, the ending of this story will be quite a bit different, along with many of the following chapters.

Oh, and one more thing: believe it or not, I've been writing this story for about a year now. I've had the actual idea in mind for the plot for nearly two years (hence my name, as you now know), although I have made many changes along the way since then, of course. I've come a long way since my first draft, and it's been quite an experience. It has required a lot of time and effort to tackle a project like this, but I have to say it's actually been pretty fun. It will be a sad day when I am done writing this story, that's or sure.

My goal is to have the story finished before the end of this year. As with everything else I do, it may or may not happen on time... but that's my plan, at least.


	17. To Die For

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 17: To Die For  
**

Life in the Pridelands: the many herds galloping across the golden savannah, the tranquilizing blue sky reflecting across the glassy surface of the waterhole, and the regal, yet oddly shaped Pride Rock protruding from the grassland. It was a lush, resource-rich landscape for any pride of lions to reside in.

And it was all under the king's command.

Leo glared at the wispy, white clouds high above him, before glancing back down at the rocky incline ahead, which glimmered in the sun. With a slow but powerful step, he walked forward, pushing the entire world down with his incredible strength.

He was, quite literally, putting himself above all else. With each passing step, he signified his dominance, embracing and even reveling in his overwhelming superiority.

The rock below his paws sunk downward, bending and contorting to the king's will. The lion's steps were loud, booming across the entire landscape from Leo's passive demonstration of insurmountable power.

Eventually, the brown lion placed his battle-hardened paws just before the edge of the promontory. He looked down at his leonine peasants below, cheering and roaring with enthusiasm as they imagined a new life in the Pridelands, with their new king.

Although several bruises and scratches remained under the lion's fur, he appeared to look very sharp and well-groomed. His large, pointed muzzle split the winds of change around him, and his thick mane was almost shiny enough to reflect a stream of light.

Leo was simply an enormous beast of a lion, and certainly the largest to ever stand above Pride Rock, by far. He had Mohatu's exact appearance in almost every way—even the barely noticeable mane curl between his small eyes.

The two appeared very similar. They were similar. They were the same lion.

As the roars of the felines calmed and fell behind a steady wind, Leo raised his chest and began to speak. "Throughout history, kingdoms rise and fall... like the sun." Leo paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing his speech. "But for the past ten thousand years, the lion kingdom was believed to be extinct. It was believed to be gone... forever."

"But today," a young Mohatu yelled with a regal, authoritative voice, "I stand before you with this news: _we have returned_." Many roars followed the king's powerful words, before he continued speaking again. "Today, we shall rise to greet the dawn of a _new_ era..."

"Today," the king repeated himself, "our kingdom is reborn!"

Leo gazed across the horizon with a smug grin of confidence, admiring his beautiful landscape below. "Everything the light touches is almost ours." A second wave of cheering interrupted the king's words, before he decided to continue. "We now reign supreme over the Pridelands, in the glorious pawprints of our ancestors. Soon, all of Africa will bear witness to the infinite strength of our reborn kingdom."

Not surprisingly, the king's words were followed by yet another roar of applause. In the silence that followed, the lion inhaled heavily, preparing to let out a roar of dominance across the green savannah. "May it last for all of time!"

* * *

Back in reality, Mohatu clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head from side to side. "No!" he yelled, as he shuffled erratically through the sand. "No... it can't be true!" There was simply no way _he_ was his own enemy. There was no way in hell Mari would allow the king to live, after all he did.

But, it explained _everything_.

All the visions and dreams of Leo and Rex were memories of Mohatu's past, rising through the clouds of his mind and to the surface of his consciousness.

The fact that Mohatu was once king Leo also explained Mari's weird behavior, and revealed her true intentions.

It also explained the entire idea behind the importance of Lea Halalela, and emphasized the importance of keeping the mission a secret from Rex.

Eventually, the lion ceased walking, unable to cope with his own thoughts. "_Dammit_! No! It _is_ true..." With a heavy heart, Mohatu's paws gave out, and the lion plunged into the desert sand. "It _must_ be true," he finally admitted. "Dammit!"

"And..." he continued, covering his face with his paw. "And _she_ knew. They _all_ knew!" The entire time, he had been fighting alongside Mari and her pride, against Rex's kingdom. All that time, they were fighting the lion kingdom, but with nothing less than the very bastion of the kingdom right there beside them.

_He_ was the king. He was fighting his own creation.

It was absurd... well beyond unthinkable.

As ridiculous as it was, there was no way it could have been true.

But it had to be. As Mohatu looked back on his memories, it just made sense. The pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly. In fact, Mohatu almost began to feel stupid for not recognizing how obvious it was that the lioness had lied to him, during the first few days...

* * *

"There is some good news, though. Leo is dead," Mari said, unable to bear looking the lion in the eye as she spoke. "Rex took his place as king... but it is only a matter of time before his reign is at an end too."

"Oh," Mohatu replied, feeling his heart sink to the ground. "You did what you had to do, I guess."

"Yes, but it wasn't right," she argued. "I don't believe in killing. It's what separates _us_ from _them_." Secretly, Mari began to feel a splash of relief. Maybe her plan would work after all.

* * *

"We have already discussed this, and we think it would be best if you stay here, with us," Narisah announced.

Mohatu looked at the lion with an expression confusion. This wasn't making any sense. He was injured and weak, and he was well aware of that fact. He would be of greater assistance to the pride if they killed him and ate him for lunch. "You _want _me to stay?" he asked.

"It's up to you, of course. But the truth is, we need all the help we can get," Busar explained.

"I'm sure you already know," Karttiki spoke up, "about the situation with Rex."

"Normally, we would be reluctant to let an outsider join our pride, especially at your age, but these are unusual circumstances," Irena added.

"I'll... think about it," Mohatu replied. "But there's not much I can do now," he admitted, remembering how difficult it was to find the strength to walk.

"When you're better, of course," Mari confirmed. "It should only be a few weeks."

Mohatu responded politely, speaking his mind. "I appreciate the offer, but I just... I don't know. I don't belong here."

After Mohatu's final words to the group of lions, he strained his legs to lift his body off the moist jungle soil. "I need to get back to my own pride."

As their guest slowly walked away, Mari spoke to her family in private. "Just let me talk to him some more. I think I can persuade him," she smiled.

"Hah. He has no idea," Busar whispered. The tone of his voice dropped unusually low.

* * *

"You hit your head a few days ago," Mari clarified.

Mohatu raised a brow. "Thanks for telling me," he replied sarcastically. "I don't remember a single thing before this morning."

The lioness chuckled lightly, allowing herself to relax, despite the lion's attitude. "That's probably a good thing. The past few weeks have been... very brutal, to say the least."

* * *

"Look," Mari sighed. "It all comes down to this: I think I know how to overthrow Rex. But I'll need your help to pull it off."

The lion shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure Rex needs to be stopped; I don't doubt that. But I'm not the lion to do it. I need to get back to my own pride. There's nothing here for me."

"Your family is dead," she stated bluntly. "Their blood is on the king's paws. I'm sorry."

Her words hit Mohatu like a splash of cold water. He lowered his head in shame as Mari sat in silence.

All things considered, the lioness was probably right. If he almost died, chances are, his family shared a less fortunate fate. "I... I wish I could remember," the lion muttered.

She walked closer to the lion, who, to her surprise, accepted her company. "We need to stick together, or our fate will be the same as theirs."

Clearly, Mari wanted Mohatu to stay. Yet, he still failed to understand why. "But, why me? I'm nobody special," he confessed, looking back up at the lioness approaching him.

The lioness shook her head, before smiling. "Yes, you are."

A strange, warm feeling developed in Mohatu's melting gut, as he found himself returning Mari's grin. Mohatu continued to stare into Mari's reflective black eyes, allowing her words to sink in.

If that's how Mari felt about him, surely it was worth sticking around for, if nothing else.

"I'll let you think about it," she said, unknowingly bringing the lion back to reality.

* * *

The lioness paused, and turned her head to the clouds above for a second, before shifting her gaze back to Mohatu. "I hope I wasn't being too pushy last night... y'know..."

"Don't worry about it," Mohatu assured. "I would have done the same."

"You..." Mari twitched her eye. "What?"

"Actually," the lion continued, "I thought about what you said last night... and I kinda want to know more."

"Huh?" Mari asked. It was totally not what she expected the lion to say.

"How did my family die?" Mohatu inquired without emotion in his voice. He watched as a flock of colorful birds circled around far above him.

Mari stretched out her paws nervously before scratching the back of her neck. "Are... you sure you want to talk about that?"

"Yeah."

The lioness sighed, and looked back up at the puffy clouds above. "They were hunted down and killed by the king... king Leo."

"But why?" Mohatu asked.

"I wish I could tell you," Mari replied sadly. "I have no idea. Any lion who did not swear allegiance to the king was murdered on sight. I guess it was the only way he could secure his position within his new kingdom. It's like he thought himself a prophet, or something..."

"Oh," Mohatu sighed, but otherwise remained silent.

"...and I'm not entirely sure he _wasn't_ a prophet of some sort," Mari continued. Her voice almost seemed to reflect a feeling of awe, albeit only vaguely.

* * *

Mohatu tried to force a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Would his pride really rather live in a termite mound, than with a few drugged cats?

In fact, life on an island didn't sound all that bad of an idea to him. "Y'know, I think we all deserve some catnip after a night like _that,_" he chuckled lightly.

"Wait, you're kidding, right?" Karttiki asked. "That stuff is dangerous. You know, in large doses, it can erase all your memories and wipe away your entire identity. A little more exposure than that, and it kills even the toughest of lions."

"Relax, it was just a joke," Mohatu replied, seeing that Karttiki had interpreted his statement a bit too literally.

* * *

"Come here," Busar requested.

Mohatu approached the elder lion slowly, before sitting down in the spot that Karttiki had made warm.

Busar was first to initiate the conversation. "You know Leo and Rex were my sons, right?"

"Yeah."

The older lion sighed. "So much of this is my fault. I really should have listened to them before they ran away." Busar paused for a moment, gathering his breath before continuing. "But they were young; they did not know better. They were not ready to face the horrors of war-"

"You mean, when they fought the hyenas?"

"Yes. And look what happened to them. Their hatred consumed them. They became so obsessed with being strong and powerful, that they were willing to kill _us_ to become stronger."

"Uh-huh," Mohatu nodded.

"And look what they've done," the lion continued sadly. "That kingdom of theirs destroyed an entire ecosystem today… don't you ever forget that."

Mohatu gulped. "It's awful."

"Once you leave, you're going to see some ugly things… and survival will not be easy. But you cannot let it change who you are."

Mohatu nodded, while Busar continued his lecture. "I've been watching you over the past few days. I know you're a good lion at heart… but don't let all go to your head like it did to my sons. We need a savior now more than ever."

"Is there some greater meaning behind all this, or-" the lion began to ask. Busar only seemed to be rambling, and Mohatu was not entirely sure what the older lion said was even making sense.

"Remember what I've said. When you have to question who your loyalties lie with, you will know why I told you this."

"But," Mohatu almost scowled, interrupting the older lion. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"That's okay," Busar replied. "You will understand someday."

However, Busar was afraid to mention what would happen if Mohatu _didn't_ understand when he had to make the critical choice. The old lion merely held his breath instead, until he figured out how to conclude his speech. "As long as you are calm—at peace—you are following the right path."

"Well... ugh... thanks for the advice," Mohatu nodded.

* * *

It was true. It was all true. The lion's entire life was a lie. Certainly, he was not the rogue lion he thought he was.

But that did not even begin to describe it. He wasn't just a warrior, he was the king. He wasn't just any king either; he was the prophet, more than likely. He was the first king since the fall of the ancient kingdom, more than ten millennia ago.

He was, perhaps, the strongest lion to ever have lived. In fact, he was even stronger than his younger brother, Rex. Between the two mighty lions, he was the uncontested champion. The mere thought was unquestionably mind blowing, even if, by some strange chance, it was a cruel joke. But it obviously wasn't.

After only a single conversation, the lion's entire world shifted upside down. His perspective changed, and not just his perspective of himself, but his mission and the entire kingdom as well. It completely changed everything.

The many intense emotions that ran through the lion's heart were indescribable, as he continued to lay in the sand. It was a very strange, breathtaking experience, to discover his own identity in such a way. It was nearly impossible for him to remain calm. The startling revelation controlled his mind, preventing him from maintaining any sense of composure.

Everything he thought he had begun to understand was suddenly washed away, right from under his paws.

In a weird way, it was almost a relief to finally discover that everything made sense. But, on the flip side, that wasn't necessarily true. Knowing that the rise of the kingdom was entirely his fault hardly brought him any sense of peace. Instead, it ripped the lion apart, limb from limb.

Mohatu opened his eyes and looked to the night stars in desperation. His spirit lifted up, but only for a moment, before he began to wonder how many he had killed.

Of all the stars in the night sky, how many had he put in their place?

"I... I don't know why I did that..." the lion whispered quietly to the stars above him. "Please forgive me."

Mohatu only begged for an answer, sitting on the edge of his knees. All he wanted was to hear a single word.

After hearing nothing but silence for several moments, Mohatu turned away and lifted himself up onto his paws. It was all he could do, just to prevent himself from crying like the soft and weak lion he had become.

"Forgiveness?" a voice finally returned from the sky. "Oh, you've got to be _joking_!"

Mohatu looked up as he began to walk randomly, pacing around his original position in the sandy grassland. He recognized that voice, and he knew exactly who it was.

Algenubi.

It was not long before his eyes met the ghostly figure of the ancient king in the sky. Suddenly, Mohatu lost his breath, completely unaware of what to say.

Unfortunately, the ghostly king began to berate the pleading lion below. "Don't you realize what they have done to you? You were stripped of your power, your kingdom, and your identity... and you ask for _forgiveness_? Unbelievable!"

Mohatu collapsed back into the sand, while his heart sank further into the ground. "I... I-"

"You're an _idiot_," Algenubi concluded bitterly. "You're nothing but a weak fool, and the fact that you placed your dirty paws on my key is... eww!"

Mohatu closed his eyes as hard as he could, trying to make the image of the king go away. Even though he hid his face in the sand, Algenubi continued to taint his mind from above.

"It's absolutely _disgusting_."

Several large, salty tears fell from the lion's eyes and ran into the corners of his mouth, as he pushed his muzzle into the sand. Algenubi's presence was too much for even the former king of beasts to handle.

"For a moment," the ghost began once again, "I thought you still had a chance... to strike revenge and take back what was yours. But this? You're pathetic. You're no better than that stupid lioness."

As harsh as Algenubi's words were, the idea brought out a strange, conflicting thought that loomed in the back of the lion's mind. If he truly was the king, then he had been making all the wrong choices.

Perhaps the hyena was right, after all. Musashi had a point: in the eyes of the king, the entire world did exist, only for him to conquer. Considering his old self, Mohatu knew he should be glad to discover that he was once at the very top.

"Who do you think you are... to deny greatness?" Algenubi questioned bitterly. "If you deny greatness to yourself, you deny it to all of lionkind." The ghostly figure's voice fell much deeper, and began to boom through every corner of the horizon. "We will not be denied. The lion kingdom _will_ rise again!"

"You have a choice, Leo," the ancient king continued. "You can kill the lioness, and reclaim what is rightfully yours... or you can _die, _at the paw of the true king. It's simple, really."

Mohatu began to consider the king's words once again. What would actually happen if he went back to the Pridelands? What would happen if Rex found out he was still alive?

Could he arise from the dead and reclaim his position on the throne? Would he become a legend?

"Yippie ki-yay, sons of biscuits! I'm back from the dead!" Mohatu thought to himself, almost inciting a laugh from within. "No one can stop the king," he mumbled sarcastically, sand flowing into the corners of his mouth.

In a sadistic way, it almost felt satisfying to imagine speaking those words to Mari. After she had lied to him, he would have his revenge by becoming the very lion she forced him not to be. He could, potentially, reclaim his position as supreme ruler of Africa. He could be unstoppable, and Rex's conquest could fall back into his paws.

It was an amusing thought, but not one he could convince himself to go along with. If he went back and took his place as king, he would have destroyed all that Mari had ever fought and hoped for. There was no way he would ever do that—not to the one lioness who had actually showed him the light.

He tried to kill her, and she responded not with bared teeth, but with a weapon far more powerful. She responded with mercy and benevolence.

He hurt her, both physically and mentally, more than any lion ever had, but she did not seize her opportunity to end his life. Mari was too weak to be a cold-blooded killer.

Yet, her very weakness was what he admired most.

As he gazed into the landscape ahead, he arrived at the realization that Mari had completely changed the shape of the future with her aforementioned weakness. It did not make her weaker—if anything, it had the opposite effect.

Mohatu attempted to look back up at the ghost with a tear of remorse running down his muzzle. Fortunately, Algenubi had suddenly vanished. Instead, the lion could only watch as waves of water flowed by, off in the distance, as a result of the gentle wind.

"No," Mohatu whispered, with a heavy scowl. "No!" he repeated himself, this time, a little louder.

The lion gulped suddenly, finding it unusually strange that Algenubi had suddenly vanished. He was not given a chance to speak for himself. "You're wrong, your highness," Mohatu continued, looking up to a cloud in the sky and planting his paw firmly down onto the ground. "I'm _not_ a king, and I'm _not_ your prophet."

Mari wasn't the best huntress, and she certainly wasn't the best fighter. To be truthful, she wasn't even the prettiest lioness he could have imagined. Yet, despite her flaws, she had managed to control the very strings of the biggest badass in the Pridelands. All she had to do was be herself.

That thought was equally mind-blowing as the revelation itself.

"I'm not a king," the lion continued. "I am _better_ than that," he growled, staring at Algenubi's star in the sky. "Mari was right about me... you'll see! I'm not like you!"

Mohatu's gaze turned back to the sand below him, once again. Yet, as he began to step forward, he could only wonder what it would be like to have such a sense of self. He had not the slightest idea who he was. The lion had no idea if what he said was actually true.

But the lioness knew exactly who he was. She knew the entire time. Her entire pride knew, and they kept him in the dark every step of the way.

But could he really be redeemed, like her pride seemed to think, or was he the king, after all? Could he escape his true identity?

Mohatu walked back through the patches of grass, wanting nothing more than to shrivel up and die. He began looking for a dark place where no one would find him, so that he could sit down and cry himself to sleep in seclusion.

The mere thought seemed stupid, but it almost began to calm him, for some strange reason. A true king would never pity himself in such a way, but a king was exactly what he did not want to be.

His entire existence had only a negative impact on his pride. After all he did, he almost felt dirty not to cry. It wouldn't change the past, but it would certainly change him. It would define him.

Before the lion walked very far, he had already approached the desert waterhole. With each step he took, his paws only sank into the moist sand, tainting the oasis with his mere presence. He kept his eyes peeled to the ground, while he began stepping back into the water.

Between the expanding waves of water from his paws, he saw his reflection glaring back up at him. It stared deep into the lion's soul, draining him of his own will to live.

"It's because of me," he whispered to himself, bringing his nose right up to the water's surface. "It's all because of me."

Mohatu dunked his head under the water's filmy surface, trying to wash away the feeling of disgust that surrounded him. It was such a nasty feeling in the bottom of his heart, knowing that all of the problems that he faced were entirely his fault.

It was not some evil lion who killed Musashi, found several keys, and created a kingdom. _He_ was the lion who brought death to the Pridelands. He had betrayed his family, and he had done so to make himself stronger. And, worst of all, he had just considered doing it a second time.

Mohatu raised his head out of the water so that he could breathe. As he continued to bathe in his own misery, an even worse realization dawned on him.

The lion drew his paw out of the water for a second, and extended his claws. He did not have four; he only had three on one paw. As he discovered days ago, one of his middle claws had broken off in battle.

Likewise, the scar across Mari's back fit the pattern of his claws perfectly. There were only three scratch marks, with a line missing from the middle.

At one point, he had tried to kill the very lioness that he admired.

That was it. That realization was the last he could take.

The lion placed his paw over his eyes to wipe away a second surge tears. It was certainly no surprise that she didn't like him, after all he had done. He had killed and mistreated her entire pride—in fact—his entire pride. No matter what he did, he could never correct such a mistake.

Never before had he wanted to die so badly. He _deserved_ to die.

Mohatu stepped away from the water slightly, before collapsing onto his side in the grasses. Several additional tears continued to flow down the lion's muzzle, until the grass below remained entirely soaked.

The lion sat there for several long and agonizing minutes, barely moving a muscle. He rested, breathing heavily, sobbing quietly, in a state of utter mental torment.

Yet, perhaps a bit too conveniently, Mohatu heard a loud roar from the other sound of the waterhole, moments later. Perhaps it had even been an hour later; he didn't know. But whatever he heard, he had little doubt that it was the roar of another male lion, and it was coming from Rafiki's tree.

Perhaps Mohatu could correct his mistake, after all. If Mari was in danger, he could begin to repent for his actions by bringing her opponent to justice. Leo was a warrior; he fought to live, and lived to fight. The art of war simply felt natural.

Secretly, he hoped for the worst, as he rose to his paws. Mari had saved his life, and he could only return the favor if hell was breaking loose. The heat of battle was the only comfort he could find.

Hero or villain, this would be his chance to become a supernova. This would be his chance to to atone for his actions, and die with honor and glory.

Mohatu stepped forward, readying himself for battle. He wiped his paw across his muzzle, clearing the tear stains out of his face. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

On the other side of the waterhole, the reflection of a dark lion with a black mane passed in front of a field of stars. Under the cover of night, the creature was almost entirely camouflaged.

Yet, this did not stop a certain monkey from spotting him, as the feline walked swiftly through the swamp beside Rafiki's tree.

"Bad lion!" Rafiki exclaimed, putting his hand over the sword, preparing to draw out his weapon.

"Oh, I don't suppose you're going to try to fight me, do you?" the dark maned lion asked with a bitter tone, suddenly stopping in his tracks. Instantly, the big cat turned around and pounced on the sleepy mandrill.

Unfortunately, Rafiki fell backward with his grip still on the sword's elegant handle. "Very bad lion!" he persisted, resting his head in the grass. "Very bad!"

"I don't have the time to waste, so let's just make this quick," the lion spat. He raised his claws up to the mandrill's throat before continuing. "Where is Mohatu?"

"Heh, Mohatu! Mohatu sneaky! You never find him!"

The lion clenched Rafiki's throat a bit harder, trying to get a more direct response. "I don't have time for your games, you stupid monkey."

"Look behind you," Rafiki whispered.

Immediately, the lion jumped back, thinking he was going to find his adversary coming to fight him. Instead, he found nothing but grass, water, and stars.

Now free to move, Rafiki stood up with a wide grin. "Bye!"

As the aggressive lion noticed that his prey managed to break free, he turned around and growled. Before he could lunge forward again, Rafiki had already started running back up his tree.

"Damn you!" the black maned lion roared across the dry grasses. "I'll get you, you stupid monkey. No one gets away from Ganji."

Rafiki held up his sword, sitting safely on a tall branch. "You are wrong," he replied, laughing smugly, while Ganji paced around below with aggression.

Suddenly, the calm voice of another lion boomed through the cool, dry air of night. "Looking for me?" Mohatu asked, appearing from the grasses.

It was undeniably a brave move on Mohatu's part, especially considering his mental state of chaos. Yet, hearing Ganji's roar only caused him to go back to his primitive instincts: fighting and killing. Although he was in no condition to fight, Mohatu managed to feign a sense of brutality quite well.

Ganji turned around quickly. "I'm looking for you to _die_," he spat.

Mohatu continued to approach the lion, without revealing his natural weapons. "I knew Rex would send some lion out here to find me," he stated carelessly.

Meanwhile, Ganji only lowered his torso while swinging his tail in the air, preparing to pounce on Mohatu.

"But I think he would rather you bring me to him _alive_." Mohatu stopped walking, and stood still to analyze his opponent's reaction. The coffee-colored lion knew it would be rather difficult to convince his opponent not to attack him, but an idea suddenly spawned in his mind.

He had information that the king would find rather useful. While Mohatu had no intention of telling the king what he needed to know, the thought seemed rather persuasive. "I have the key of Algenubi," the brown lion admitted.

The darker lion paused for a moment, staring deep into Mohatu's eyes with hatred. "If you have it, then give it to me, and I'll forget I ever found you," Ganji threatened. His claws were bared around Mohatu's mane.

"I don't _have_ it," Mohatu clarified. "I know where it is. I know where Mari is, and I know where Busar is. Take me to Rex, and I will tell him everything he wants to know. With my help, all of the king's enemies will die in a single, glorious day."

Ganji eyed the brown lion cautiously, without letting his guard down. "I will take you to the king," he sighed, squinting his eyes and dropping his brows. "But if you try anything, you're _dead_."

Mohatu gently pushed Ganji's aggressive paw away from his throat. "Good," he scowled. "I will go peacefully."

* * *

A/N: Just leaving a note here, that I will be unable to update this story for the next week or so. Although this cliffhanger is going to be here for a bit longer than usual, I'm not going to leave this story unfinished. Not much else to say, really, other than Chapter 18 will be up as soon as I can. :)


	18. Incision

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 18: Incision**

Mari looked up at the midnight stars, thinking only of what the baboon had said about Mohatu. The mandrill's interpretation of the prophecy was crazy, no doubt, but the thought seemed to bring a slight wave of tranquility to the lioness's mood.

Certainly, Mohatu had the power to bring the kingdom down to its knees. But Rafiki was right as well, in that he could potentially change the kingdom instead.

During the peak of his reign, Leo's influence on the lion kingdom was remarkably vast. After all, he was once the uncontested ruler of the Pridelands: whatever he did, his kingdom would follow in suit.

No matter what, Mari could not change that. Yet, she had changed his entire identity by wiping the lion's memories away. She changed the lion's very perception of the conflict itself.

It was exactly like she planned.

The only thing she never planned for, was to tell him the truth. He was never supposed to discover his identity—his troubled past, and his true self. She took a big risk by revealing her secret, but Rafiki had managed to convince her it was for the best.

The lioness almost gasped for air, once again realizing that she had actually told him. She actually did it. At long last, he knew the whole truth.

Only now could he see the the lioness for who she truly was. Her secret was revealed, and the protective shell of lies she had created to protect herself was gone. No, she wasn't the hero Mohatu wanted to think she was. She had manipulated him, all from the very beginning.

But now, her weapon was free. She was left weak and nearly defenseless, no longer able to leverage her control.

Her fate, and the fate of her pride, would rest entirely on Mohatu's decision. Certainly, that was a scary thought.

Mohatu was a strong lion, obviously, but Mari could not even begin to understand how hard it would be to cope with such a situation. She and her pride had made a bit of a mistake by keeping the truth from him for so long; that much was evident from his disheartened walk back to the waterhole, hours ago.

All the trust that she had worked so hard to gain with Mohatu had been lost. Somehow, she would need to regain it, but she could not dare to follow him back to the waterhole.

But only at first.

After a sudden, agonizing change of heart, Mari looked back across the dune-covered horizon, reluctantly stepping forward to follow the path of Mohatu's paw prints.

For better or worse, she had to know what he thought. Would he view Mari's plan as the act of redemption it was intended to be, or would he try to take back what was rightfully his, and fulfill his role as the king of the Pridelands, once more?

Was he destined to be the king of the Pridelands like their ancestors believed, or had Mari altered that destiny by saving the lion's life? Did she truly have that power: the power to screw with supernatural forces of a Godlike race, which she barely even understood?

Fortunately, before Mari walked very far, the voice of a mandrill interrupted her intense train of thought. "Mari!" Rafiki called quickly, catching the lioness's immediate attention.

Mari glanced over at the baboon as he approached her. "What is it?"

The mandrill stopped for a minute, so that he could catch his breath. "Mohatu surrendered to Ganji!"

"What?" the lioness asked again, unwilling to believe Rafiki's words.

"He asked to be taken to Rex," Rafiki added.

"That's... he's nuts! He'll be killed!" Mari blurted out.

"I..." Rafiki began, looking down at the sheathed sword in his hand. "I think that may be his wish."

"You mean...?" Mari asked, dropping her voice to a near whisper. If he was, indeed, going to risk his life to settle the score with Rex, she could not help but realize that she had been a bit too late to convince him of the stupidity of that very idea. If Mohatu was going to do something stupid, that had already happened.

Obviously, having the two kings fight one another was never on Mari's agenda.

Rafiki shook his head. "I do not know what his _true_ intentions are," the baboon answered. "But I know he needs help."

The colorful monkey pulled his sword out of its sheath, gripping it tightly with his hands as it glistened in the fading moonlight. "I think I know where Ganji might take him, until morning. We need to get him out."

The entire situation caught Mari in shock. It was all happening so fast. It was too fast, and she could hardly keep up with her own thoughts.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mari nearly yelled, standing still for a long moment. "Are _we_ really going to rescue _him_? I can hardly believe this..."

"It is worse," Rafiki replied, seeming rather worried. "He offered to tell Rex... _information_."

Mari's eyes dilated at once. "You mean... about our mission?"

"Yes. He could be bluffing, but-"

"No!" Mari swore, unleashing a roar that shook the entire desert. The lion had not only made a stupid move, but he put something far more important on the line as well. "I _never_ should have told him..."

"That is why we must help him," Rafiki insisted.

"Okay, okay, okay..." Mari gulped, repeating the same word over and over again to calm herself down slightly. "I... don't like this, but I know you're right," she continued, gesturing for the baboon to lead the way. "He better not tell them anything... or else we'll be running right into our deathbeds."

* * *

"So, what's this _really_ all about?" Ganji asked, leading Mohatu through a narrow and rocky valley, far from Mari's position. Under the starlight, the walls of the chasm were only barely lit, and the surrounding landscape began to give Mohatu a bit of a shiver.

"What do you mean?"

"You killed Usama, escaped through the Pridelands, and now you're out _here_." The lion reduced his pace, glancing at Mohatu earnestly while he placed his claws up to Mohatu's shoulder. "Do you really think I don't know what you're up to?"

"I seek only the truth," Mohatu retorted honestly, hiding his internal emotions of guilt and sorrow quite well. "We both have much to gain here, and much to lose."

The darker lion paused for a moment, reconsidering Mohatu's offer. "My orders from the prophet were very clear," Ganji spat. "You should be _dead_. If you will not tell me, you will die." Ganji lowered his posture slightly. "I'll cut your throat into a thousand pieces... no one will know what will happen here, and no one will care."

Mohatu closed his eyes for a moment, sighing heavily. If that was the way it had to be, then he was prepared. As the lion's vision returned, he found Ganji blocking his line of sight with bared teeth.

"I've been following Mari... the lioness who killed Leo," Mohatu answered.

"Where is she?" Ganji demanded.

"I don't know," Mohatu replied bitterly. Although he was being truthful, it did not matter. "The last time I saw her, she was near the oasis."

"And the key of Algenubi?"

Mohatu hesitated for a moment, before stepping back and drawing out his claws. There was no way in hell he would actually tell Rex that, much less one of Rex's subordinates. Mohatu may have traveled down the wrong path in the past, but he would never allow his younger brother to continue down that path as well. "That information is for the prophet," he lied.

The darker lion clenched his sharp layers of teeth together. "Wrong answer. You're dead!"

Expecting his opponent to attack, Mohatu rolled forward, until he was nearly under Ganji's mane. With a quick and furious bite, Mohatu grabbed a chunk of jet-black manefur and ripped it from Ganji's chest. Fortunately, the former king was far quicker than his opponent.

It was almost refreshing for Mohatu, in a way, to return to the chaos of battle. When the entire world flipped on him, the familiar art of war never changed. The threat of danger brought out the best of him, focusing his mind into the tip of a spear as he honed in on his target, breathing heavily.

Consequently, Ganji jumped backward from Mohatu's strange attack, allowing his opponent to win the first round. He could not help but notice that the large lion's tactics were nearly identical to the former king of the Pridelands. In fact, the lion appeared very similar to Leo, but much thinner...

But any relation was clearly impossible, Ganji thought. Leo was dead, for sure. It had to be a mere coincidence.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Mohatu replied, seeming totally unfazed by his opponent's failed attempt at brutality. It was apparent to the old king, that his opponent had _no idea_ who he was fighting. As tough as Ganji seemed, he was no match for the once-insurmountable king Leo.

"It's your choice," the lion added, almost begging Ganji to surrender.

Ganji lunged forward, throwing all his weight on Mohatu's chest. The two began to tumble backward for several revolutions, until Ganji finally landed on top.

"I am not taking you to Rex," the smaller lion taunted, pinning Mohatu down on the rocky dirt below. "You are a traitor, and you will _die_ like a traitor."

Mohatu stood still for a moment, without ever moving a muscle. He only waited for his adversary to make another move, while he laughed quietly to himself. In his eyes, the kingdom betrayed _him _when he had supposedly died.

Ganji was such an ignorant fool. He was blindly following the orders of the king, without question, as a soldier on the field of battle. As one of a select few deemed worthy of being called 'knights,' Ganji was, in fact, an elite pawn of the king.

"So, are you going to tell me?" Ganji asked, glancing down and breathing on his opponent.

With a burst of energy, Mohatu freed his paws and swatted the black-maned lion across his nose. "Never!"

"Well, that's too bad," Ganji retorted, before letting out a roar that echoed through the narrow and rocky valley. The lion began to grin, as he looked up and saw nearly a dozen lions standing above the edge of the cliffs on both sides, only faintly visible in the moonlight.

Mohatu looked up at the lines of combatants as well, waiting for battle. Although the creatures were only barely visible under the starry cover of night, he did not need perfect vision to see that he was about to get killed for sure.

But that was okay. He was ready to become a supernova.

"How many do you think you need to make it a fair fight?" Mohatu taunted, puffing out his chest and stepping closer to Ganji. "You realize you're sending them all to their grave, right?" Mohatu paused for a moment, allowing Ganji to reconsider his strategy. "Their blood is going to be on _your_ paws, as well as mine."

"Brave," Ganji admitted neutrally. "...but _stupid_. Anything is fair in war—as you will soon learn."

Almost by command, two lions leaped down, and prepared to sneak up on Mohatu from behind. "You can't win," Ganji retorted with a wicked grin, as Mohatu turned around to kill his two new opponents.

"kill him."

The first approached slowly, waiting for Mohatu to make the first move. His precautionary approach failed, however, as Mohatu knocked him unconscious with a quick stroke of his paw.

Mohatu then turned to face the other, allowing his attacker to go in for the kill. With a quick evasive maneuver and a second swift strike, Mohatu brought both his new adversaries to their doom.

Quickly, the brown lion turned around to face Ganji once again. "How many more will I have to kill, before you realize the truth? I offered _peace_. I am not asking for a fight. _You_ are."

Ganji scowled, quickly lunging toward Mohatu and pushing the old king backward. Apparently, he had totally ignored Mohatu's words. "You will NEVER stop the kingdom!"

Mohatu fell back slightly, but managed to regain his balance before Ganji could actually hurt him. Immediately after recovering, Mohatu scanned his surroundings to search for any more attackers. "You just don't get it," he exhaled heavily.

Ganji continued to lash out several more attacks, while a second group of lions jumped down to assist their leader.

Mohatu tried desperately to evade each strike but began to grow tired rather quickly. He had not eaten for several days, so he was lacking energy to sustain himself in a longer battle. He could not defend himself forever.

As a break opened up in Ganji's attacks, Mohatu stepped back to take a breath. Cautiously, he began to speak again, trying an alternate form of persuasion. "You know how to fight," Mohatu admitted. "But you are not fighting with a reason."

While Mohatu was distracted, recouping his strength from Ganji's second brutal assault, two more lions approached the dueling lions from opposite sides, preparing to lunge at their enemy, the old king Leo.

Quickly, Mohatu leaped forward into Ganji's mane, allowing the two inexperienced leonine warriors to crash into one another.

As their heads clashed and rang from the dizziness of a high-speed collision, Mohatu turned around and jabbed a forepaw into the skull of each, quickly finishing them off in an impressive display of skill.

Less than a second later, Mohatu used his hind legs to kick Ganji directly in the nose. Consequently, the smaller lion fell backward, exhaling heavily as his body crashed into the ground with a bang and a cry of pain to match.

Both hearing and feeling the success of his attack, Mohatu turned around and prepared to finish his opponent off. With a single bite, he managed to bring the lion a tremendous amount of pain. Although it was a challenge to navigate through the lion's thick manefur and hit the critical spot, it was hardly difficult for a lion of Mohatu's level. He only needed a little more time to confirm his kill.

Before Mohatu could honor the imminent death of his opponent, the entire pride above cried out in terror. Not too conveniently, several more lions then leaped down from the valley, set on killing Mohatu once and for all.

Mohatu turned around to face his new opponents once again, with blood staining his paws and muzzle.

Unexpectedly, immediately after Mohatu shifted his focus away from Ganji, the black-maned lion leaped up and pushed Mohatu down, with a brutal strike across his flank.

In consequence, Mohatu fell down onto his back, scraping along the ground and kicking sand into his recently opened wounds. As his opponent sat victoriously above the him, Mohatu began to realize that he hadn't finished the job.

Meanwhile, Ganji lowered himself to the ground even further, using his tremendous upper body strength to keep Mohatu from moving. The dark lion's rear paws extended back, so that Mohatu could not reverse the situation, despite his greater strength and skill.

"Did you really think it would be _that_ easy?" Ganji taunted angrily. "I trained at the paws of king Rex himself! You don't stand a chance against me."

Mohatu struggled to push the smaller lion off of his chest, but to no avail. He could not free himself, even with all his strength. Ganji had a wide base, and a low center of gravity; he could not be moved.

"I thought it would be a little bit _harder_," Mohatu scowled. He looked around as many other lions and lionesses showed up to watch the duel. "So, you've won," Mohatu admitted. "Why haven't you killed me?"

Ganji raised his paw, preparing to drive it into Mohatu's seemingly defenseless muzzle. "Because I'm not _done_ with you yet! Where is the key of Algenubi?"

Mohatu raised his paw up as well, clashing it against Ganji's in a brave display of resistance. "Take me to Rex," he repeated himself.

Ganji pushed all his strength into Mohatu's bloody paw, but neither lion could gain a distinct advantage. "That isn't going to happen," Ganji retorted. "I follow the king's orders, and _only_ the king's orders!"

Mohatu grabbed Ganji's paw with his own, and threw it across his body, while twisting Ganji's wrist backwards. Although the old king had gained the advantage, Mohatu could not bring himself to speak the truth and frighten Rex's ignorant minion.

Instead, Mohatu tried a different method of intimidation, while Ganji cried out in pain from having his limb twisted backwards. "Stop being a fool," the lion insisted. "You have no need to fight me."

Another lion lunged at Mohatu from behind, causing a break in the fight. Ganji paused suddenly, allowing himself to regain his breath and recoup his strength.

Meanwhile, Mohatu erected himself back on his paws, waiting for Ganji's unlikely peace offering. Not surprisingly, the lion simply wouldn't give up.

Mohatu suddenly pretended to open himself to an attack, and waited for Ganji to exploit his advantage. This would be his final move; if Ganji went in for the kill, Mohatu would not hesitate to terminate his life. He had been given plenty of chances to surrender to the old king.

But Ganji neither surrendered, nor attacked.

Many lions continued to gather around Mohatu, surrounding him from every angle. The former king Leo was losing his strength, and the odds certainly weren't in his favor. Considering that, Ganji wasn't going to make a move, because he knew he had the advantage. Mohatu was all but finished.

He had already fought gallantly. With only a hair of his energy remaining, he squinted his eyes and lowered his weight to the ground. Be it hell or high water, he would make it through alive, or die trying.

With a loud roar, Mohatu breathed out his final remaining battle cry. He would fight to the last breath, for that was the way it was meant to be.

* * *

Mari and Rafiki hid behind a rock, as another lion began to walk towards them. Fortunately, the land ahead was littered with various rocks and cavities to hide in, so finding Mohatu discreetly did not seem to pose too much of a challenge.

But regardless, they still needed to be quiet and careful.

"Stay down," Rafiki insisted. "When he gets closer, we kill him quietly."

"But..." Mari began to argue quickly. "How do we know he isn't friendly? I don't like all this sneaking around..."

"These lions are loyal to the king," Rafiki explained, whispering nearly as fast as he could think, if not slightly faster. "_Baaaad_ lions!"

Fortunately, the lion approached slowly while Mari nodded, completely unaware of what was about to happen. It gave her a bit of time to plan her attack. As he stepped near the rock, Mari extended her paw, tripping the large feline, while using her other forepaw to cover the lion's rounded muzzle.

Less than a second later, Rafiki used his new weapon to put a quick but brutal end to the lion's life, with a bloody incision straight through the gut.

After several more seconds, Mari let go, and began dragging the lion back behind the rock by grasping the back of its neck with her teeth. Rafiki then pulled his blade from the carcass, wiping it off carefully with his fingers.

"Pumzika kwa amani," Mari whispered, placing her paw over the lion's forehead as a final act of honoring the lion's sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Rafiki looked around, searching for any signs of Ganji. "I do not see him..."

"Damn!" Mari whispered. "Are you sure this is the right place?" she asked.

As Mari began to notice that Rafiki was not quite ready to respond, she continued to voice her thoughts. "Next time we shouldn't just start killing random lions before we know what we're doing. Now they're going to be on our tail no matter what! If Mohatu isn't here, then we just started an all-out war with another pride."

"This is the valley of Giza," Rafiki replied. "It is the land of darkness. If Pride Rock is the brain of the kingdom, we are near the _heart_. I have little doubt that he is here."

"The heart of the kingdom? You mean... Lea halalela?" Mari asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes," Rafiki answered. "It is not far from here."

"So... wait a minute!" Mari paused, coming to a critical and sudden realization. "Mohatu made Ganji take him to-"

"No," the baboon corrected himself. "We are _near_ Lea Halalela. This is not it. During the day, it is visible from here."

"Okay," Mari replied, calming down slightly. "For a minute, I thought Mohatu might have-"

After hearing a faint noise off in the distance, Rafiki placed his hand over the lioness's muzzle and waited some time before speaking. "Shh! I think another is coming."

Mari peeked her head over the rock, but found no other lion. Yet, the noise she heard never ceased. It only grew louder, echoing from below like the roar of a lion.

It was the roar of a very familiar lion. It was the roar of Mohatu.

"That-" Mari began hastily, "that's Mohatu's roar! He's here! I know it! He's fighting them! He can't be betraying us if he's fighting them!"

Mari almost leaped up, preparing to run down into the valley of Giza, but Rafiki held on to the end of her tail with a tight grip. The mandrill shook his head. "No! We have to be careful."

Quickly, the lioness turned around and scowled at her new monkey friend. "I'm not going to let him die down there... not in your life! He means too much to me..."

Rafiki suddenly stepped back, realizing that his work was done.

As Mari watched his reaction, she stepped back as well, in the opposite direction. The lioness looked at the ground, easily becoming embarrassed by what she had said in her ecstatic state, as the realization dawned on her.

It was true, and certainly to a greater degree than she was willing to admit. While it was blatantly true that she viewed Mohatu as her weapon, and as a tool to bring the kingdom down, she also cared for him deeply. She cared for him, not only as a weapon, but as the old friend he once was.

She had spent the majority of her cubhood in the Pridelands with Leo and Rex. Leo truly was her best friend, until he became a conqueror only seasons later. Even after all he had done, Rafiki was right: she did believe he could be redeemed. Her only goal was to guide him along that path.

She did indeed love him, although the realization had never occurred to her until now, during Mohatu's time of need. It was a platonic love nevertheless, but that seemed irrelevant in such a state of chaos.

"You were right," Mari conceded. "He's my friend—he won't betray us..."

Rafiki smiled, taking his empty hand off the lioness's tail completely. He then pointed his sword into the chasm, before speaking again. "Go down that way. I will hold the area until you can climb back up."

Mari nodded, suddenly leaving the baboon behind in a cloud of dust. Every muscle in her body worked together in perfect synchronization, hauling her tail across the rocky landscape and straight down into the valley of darkness.

Mari's paws sunk deep into the sand, as she skid to a sudden halt, just before the ledge. As she looked down in the small canyon, she found seven leonine warriors standing in a line. Behind them stood Mohatu, keeping his guard up and his wits sharp.

"All you have to do is _take me to Rex_," Mohatu growled persuasively.

Suddenly, Mari leaped down, crushing the lead attacker's skull beneath the heavy weight of her paws. Ganji died instantly, before ever realizing what had happened.

"Mohatu!" Mari yelled from among his attackers, catching their attention immediately.

Mohatu jumped upon hearing the lioness's beautiful voice. "Mari? What are you-"

Several other voices screamed out in terror, obviously the voices of Mohatu's attackers. Suddenly, the fight had erupted into a battle.

Not just any battle, but a _winnable_ battle.

"I'm not going to let you take them all yourself," Mari replied, trying to keep it simple before finishing up what he had started. As much as she wanted to tell him right then and there what she should have understood long ago, a battlefield was no place for such conversations. "We're in this mess together."

Mohatu raised his paw into the air and moved aside, as one of the attacking lions swatted at him. "No! Mari! Stop! You'll be killed too!" he yelled, beginning to show emotion in his voice once again. "I know what I have to do."

"No, you don't!" Mari retorted. "You're hurt and confused and... I'm sorry," the lioness continued, trying to keep her eyes clear and her mind focused as three opponents approached her with aggression. It was much more difficult than she imagined it would be, only seconds before.

Mari stepped back, trying to give herself a bit more space between her attackers. At the same time, she looked around, trying to find a way to use the nearby terrain to her advantage, but all she could see were several dead bodies, from the lions that he had killed. "...and _good God_, you killed four of them already?"

"It was a trap," Mohatu yelled, as his voice began to crack. "Ganji lured me down here," he continued, protecting himself from a continuous onslaught of strikes from three lions. "I didn't want to... but they won't stop! I only asked him to take me to Rex!"

A surge of anger filled Mari's heavy heart, as she faced off against her own opponents.

Suddenly, Mohatu ceased fighting, and left himself open to attack. One of his opponents had delivered a successful blow to his hind legs, causing him to nearly fall to the ground. "Just... go on without me," Mohatu mumbled. The regret in his voice was unmistakable, as he looked back at all the harm he had caused within his short lifetime.

His energy was running out, and the situation was growing a bit more hopeless by the second. He had fought for quite some time, but, like all things, it would soon be brought to an end.

Or so he thought.

"No!" Mari yelled back. She took a quick look at her paws for a moment, before fixing her eyes on a single opponent. "You don't have to... I'm here to help!"

"Die, you assassins!" one of the attackers yelled between the two.

"And _that's_ why," Mari added, jabbing her paw into that attacker's eyes to blind him, before leaping over to Mohatu's position.

Quite simply, the baboon was right. They _were_ bad lions.

Quickly, Mari stepped between the defenseless Mohatu and his attackers, using her long and golden body as a meat shield. "No one is innocent in this war," Mari retorted, clenching her teeth at Mohatu's adversaries. As another one approached, she swatted him away.

"I've killed other lions too," Mari admitted. Seeing that none of the other warriors were ready to attack again, she quickly rubbed her head under Mohatu's mane. "I don't want you to die, and I don't want to die either," she continued, "so let's kill these guys and get outta here!"

"You don't want me to die too?" Mohatu asked, with his voice sounding as if he was on the verge of tears. Normally, he would not have asked such a question, but it seemed to escape his mouth. Obviously, what he thought was not true, but his broken mind could not see the truth.

All the while, Mari lowered her head to dodge two simultaneous attacks from her enemies. "No!" she yelled softly. "I never said _anything_ like that!"

Although he still felt incredibly remorseful, Mohatu returned Mari's initial nuzzle, before showing his teeth again to his opponents.

Quite literally, she was the only lion to stand beside him. That thought warmed his heart a tiny bit, even if it was only for a second. Despite all the chaos that he had caused, Mari was strong enough to be able to pull through it all with a clean conscience.

Suddenly, Mohatu stepped forward, until he was standing directly parallel to the lioness. He grinned at her deviously with a wink. "Let's do this."

"Alright," Mari smiled back, finally having convinced her companion that she hadn't just brought him into the desert to watch him die. "You get the one on the left, and I'll get the one on the right," she whispered.

"You got it," Mohatu replied. With a second surge of energy, he ran forward and launched himself at the attacking lion in front of him. Mohatu's opponent fell back into the ground, with the larger lion looking down on him. From there, Mohatu's basic instincts took hold, and he killed another opponent while two more attempted to attack him.

All the action seemed to blur together, into one furious moment of terror. Mohatu neither felt any pain, nor did he fell the effects of his attacks. There was no battle, no fight, no deliberate action. It was only a swarm of instinct, nothing other than the flickering essence of survival in its purest form.

The same held true for Mari, as well, but to a lesser extent.

She allowed one of her adversaries to lunge at her. In a daring move, she ducked, and used her favorite technique to send her attacker tumbling into a side cliff of the valley. It had never failed her, not even once, and not even against the king.

As she waited for the next lion to attack, Mari positioned herself so that he would lunge forward into the previous attacker's body. Not to the lioness's surprise, her plan worked perfectly. While her opponents had strength in numbers, they did not have strength in intelligence.

Obviously, an intelligent lion wouldn't be loyal to the king, anyway.

But regardless, Leo was the most skilled warrior in all of Africa, and Mari had been learning from him ever since she was a cub, up until late adolescence. Together, as a team, they were a force to be reckoned with. It was apparent that none of their opponents could even begin to match them.

After Mari's careful maneuvering, only two lions remained in fighting condition, which Mari and Mohatu managed to finish off quite easily, with various biting attacks.

Shortly after, a painful ring of silence filled the air surrounding the battleground. The numb sensation slowly caused Mohatu's conscious to finally slip back into reality.

"So," the lion stated dizzily, "I guess we won..."

As the dust settled and the blood of the bad lions finished spilling into the dirt, Mari rubbed her head under Mohatu's mane once again. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this, but you just need to trust me a _little_ while longer... until we're safe."

"Okay, okay... I trust you. I've _always_ trusted you," Mohatu purred slightly, embracing the warm lioness's sudden display of affection. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's not important," Mari insisted.

Before Mohatu could reply, Mari suddenly jumped behind a large rock, trying to grab the lion and pull him in with her. "Just get over here. Hide!"

Mari had spotted a group of four more lions entering the valley from above, searching every nook and cranny for their prey.

Together, Mari and Mohatu had killed about a dozen lions, or a small pride, in fact. Yet, somehow, even more remained. It must have been a critical location of some sort; there was no other explanation for so many lions to be congregated in one place, by a valley in the middle of nowhere.

"Th-there were two of them!" one of the bad lionesses stuttered, as she walked down through the small canyon. "They're around here somewhere!"

"Are you seriously telling me only _two_ lions did this?" another asked.

"One of them was a lioness..."

"You've got to be kidding me," another foreign lion retorted.

"No, I'm not," the bad lioness replied. "The lioness that attacked us was Mari. She's the same lioness who killed Leo... she's _here_."

"What about the other one?"

"I... I don't know."

"Crap," Mohatu sighed quietly, after peeking over at the other lions and eavesdropping in on their conversation. "There's gotta be a way out of here."

"Rafiki's up there waiting for us, and I don't think they've found him yet," Mari explained, keeping her voice down to a whisper. "We just need to climb out."

"We'll be found again," Mohatu retorted. "There's another way..."

Fortunately, Mohatu spotted an unusually dark shape on the other side of the valley.

Mari gulped, upon seeing the same cave entrance. "Oh no, I know what you're thinking, and I'm not going in there!"

"Mari!" Mohatu yelled quietly. "We have to!"

"No!"

The brown lion placed his paw around the lioness's shoulders, pulling her into his mane. "It'll be fine," Mohatu assured her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Not after all we've been through."

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed through the walls of the valley, before Mari could say anything else. "There they are! Get them!"

This time, for their attackers, it was _personal_. One of their leaders was dead. He was killed by two foreign invaders, with a combined strength rivaling that of an entire hunting party.

As expected, one of the bad lions began running towards them, so it was only a matter of seconds before the duo had to fight off another wave of attacks.

Mohatu used all his strength to push his head under the lioness's belly, and pick her up off the ground. As she began to squirm around above his neck, he ran forward at full speed, directly into the dark hole in the cliff.

As Mohatu entered the cave, the ground below his paws suddenly shifted down, descending quite a way from ground level. The steep decline caused his paws to slip, and the lioness he carried above his head broke free and fell all the way to the bottom, screaming all the way down.

Mohatu used all his strength to keep his body from falling too far down with her. He used his tail to twist himself around in the dark, so that he was facing the cave's entrance. His only hope was to be able to climb back up.

However, as he continued to slip farther down, the ground below his hindlegs suddenly vanished. Although he could not see for the darkness surrounding him, he had little doubt that he was grabbing onto the edge of a cliff.

Mari managed to hold on to the edge of the dark cliff as well, with her forepaws only, while several small rocks fell below. "Mohatu!" She screamed in terror. "I'm going to fall! Help!"

Mohatu's grip slipped even further, and he soon found himself holding on to the ledge with only one paw, with Mari right beside him.

After a few seconds, a faint splash could be heard below the two. It continued to echo afterward, before Mohatu began to realize what it meant.

"Just let go," Mohatu said quietly, as his heartbeat slowed down to a more comfortable rate.

"What? Are you crazy?" Mari yelled at him.

"Just do it," Mohatu insisted. "There's water below."

"Are you sure?" the anxious lioness asked skeptically.

Mari's question was answered by the sound of moving rocks, as Mohatu let go and dove into the water below. It was a dangerous move at best, but slightly preferable to the alternative, as the sound of pawsteps approached.

Reluctantly, Mari took a deep breath, allowing herself to fall to the depths of the cave as well. It was the only way out.

Although she could not see for the lack of light, Mari closed her eyes anyway. Even if Mohatu was right, and there was water below, she knew her chance of survival wasn't all that high.

"I'm sorry... I tried," Mari muttered under her breath, as she began to feel nothing but weightlessness. The fear in the air around her pushed Mari into the shape of a ball, descending into a body of water, deep below the surface of Lea Halalela.

Perhaps she would live, but perhaps she wouldn't. As her entire life flashed before her, she only thought of the memories she shared with her pride.


	19. Reunion

A/N: This is probably one of the more poorly written chapters, I think. I apologize if it seems a bit more awkward to read than the rest, but I really don't feel like rewriting it, at the moment.

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 19: Reunion **

A cold shiver engulfed Mohatu's thick layer of fur, as he plunged deep into a dark body of water. The impact stunned him at first, but fortunately, the lion never lost consciousness while the pressure around him increased dramatically.

The salty, oversaturated water seeped into the lions dusty and dirty wounds, cleansing the scratches beneath his fur. Surprisingly, it did not sting nearly as much as the initial impact on his hindpaws.

For nearly a long and agonizing minute, Mohatu could not breathe. With absolutely no light, he had no indication of which way was up. The lion swam in various random directions, until he felt the crushing pressure of deep water decrease.

Obviously, it was hardly an effective method. But when the lion's head finally emerged from the depths after a few bubbles, there was little denying that it had worked. Perhaps, in all reality, he only made it to the surface by a sheer stroke of luck, but that barely mattered.

Mohatu breathed heavily for several seconds, keeping his head up, while waiting for the lioness to appear above water as well.

It was not long before the sound of Mari's breathing echoed across the walls of the cavern, as she coughed, wheezed, and gasped for air, all at the same time. As the lioness finally calmed down and caught her breath, she managed to speak once again. "I hate you..."

Mohatu bobbed up and down in the water like a buoy, with some of it still clogging his ears. Although he was unsure that he had heard Mari correctly, her tone of voice was clear enough to convey the meaning of what she intended to say. She had been pushed beyond her breaking point; no doubt because she was afraid of the dark.

But, truthfully, Mari had every reason to hate the lion. Mohatu could not bring himself to argue with that fact. "Yeah... I do too," Mohatu agreed, quite honestly.

After several more exaggerated coughs, Mari began to speak again. "Just what did you think you were doing?" she retorted angrily. "Y'know, if you weren't such a badass, you would have got us _both_ killed... so many freaking times!"

"I don't know," the lion conceded quickly.

"And now look where we are!" Mari continued, clearly frustrated by the situation. "It's cold and wet and dark... I can't see _anything_!"

"I..."

"Rafiki was supposed to help with the extraction! All we had to do was fight off those lions, then climb up that slope... it would have been easy! We could have ambushed them, even!" Mari complained, flattening her ears while clenching her teeth. "But, you know what? It's even worse than that! Instead of killing them, we had to run away... now they saw us, and now they're going to be looking for us."

The lioness sighed heavily, finally dropping the intensity of her voice down a bit. "I have no idea where we are, or how we're going to get out of here. We might as well be dead!"

"Let's just try to get out of this water first," Mohatu suggested, trying his best to keep his head up and ignore the lioness's rant. "That will solve two of the problems."

Mari groaned. "And how would you suggest doing _that_? I can't see!"

Mohatu thought for a brief moment, but failed to come up with any more bright ideas. "Just keep swimming... maybe we'll reach a rock or something."

"How is that going to help us climb out?" Mari retorted.

"We climbed up Pride Rock, right?" Mohatu asked rhetorically. "This might not be too much harder."

The lioness raised her voice slightly, as she started shivering in the water. "Of course it'll be harder! We're blind!"

Fortunately, the sound of Mari's voice echoed off of several walls, repeating many times before drifting into ambiance. It sparked an idea in the other lion's mind. "Do that again," Mohatu suggested.

"Huh?"

Mohatu stopped swimming, so that he floated still in the water. He took a deep breath, before unleashing a roar that rang through the cave for nearly a minute.

"There's definitely walls around here," he added. As the thunderous roar bounced all around him, he tried to create a vision of the cave in his mind. It was a bit of a challenge, but he could guess where the nearest cliff was with a small degree of accuracy.

"There _is_ an easier way to do this," Mari interrupted the lion. "Stop and listen."

The lion paused again. "I don't hear anything," Mohatu replied.

"That's probably because you blew your ears out roaring like that in here," the lioness sighed. "I can hear the sound of water hitting the rocks. The water is... moving."

Before Mari could finish her words, Mohatu felt something hard with his paw. He grabbed onto it, and used the rocky surface to anchor himself to the edge of the cliff. "Found it!"

Not long after that, Mohatu felt a soggy lionpaw bumping into his mane.

"There you are," Mari replied, before floating around and grabbing hold of the cliff as well. "So now what, wise guy?" she asked with a sour tone of sarcasm.

Small waves of water splashed up on the two lions occasionally, as they clang to the edge of the cliff, barely hanging in the water. Although neither of the two could see, Mari had managed to calm down a little bit.

But only a little.

"I don't know... I really don't know," Mohatu continued, repeating himself. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I thought Ganji was going to take me to Rex..."

What he didn't mention, was that he also had no intention of dragging Mari into the mess that he had created. She wasn't supposed to be nagging him, either. For the lion's own good, he never had the gut to tell her that much.

If he had it his way, he would have died honorably, while fighting to save the lioness. Mari would have been safe, and he would have suffered the fate he deserved.

But instead, she had to interfere.

And that was precisely why he ran into the cave. While he was prepared to make his sacrifice, he did not want Mari to suffer that same fate. From Mohatu's point of view, he was only trying to save her.

Considering that, Mari's bitter attitude was his meager reward for saving her life, and it was growing annoying rather quickly. For the first time that Mohatu had ever seen, Mari was being a complete jerk.

Yet, for reasons he could not explain, he dealt with it anyway. Perhaps, at the very bottom of his heart, he knew she was only hiding her fear. There was a very clear reason why she had joined him in his fight, and her actions had been heard much louder than her words.

Even though Mari was acting bitter towards him, Mohatu managed to convince himself she was only trying to cope with the dramatic situation.

"I guess..." Mohatu added, "I just wanted to be like you."

Mari's attitude lightened considerably, upon hearing both the admiration and regret in Mohatu's voice. Immediately, she tried to find her words, so that she could correct what she had said only moments before.

"You nearly got us killed, doing that. You _know_ Rex wants us _dead,_" Mari finally replied, after several long seconds of silence. "He's probably pretty pissed off about what happened in the jungle last week. You can't just... approach him."

The lioness shook her head. "I mean, you never should have done anything you did tonight," Mari insisted, her voice beginning to warm up slightly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you for that. As much as I want to blame you for all our problems... it really isn't your fault."

"And..." Mari began speaking slowly, as a wave of guilt started to overcome her. "I don't actually hate you."

"You don't?" Mohatu asked.

"No..." Mari lowered her head, while bringing a paw upward to get a better grip on the rock above. "I never should have left you, either. Ganji was probably waiting for us to separate like that, so we would be easier to kill. _That's_ why this happened..."

Yet, if what Mari said about Rex was true, then a confrontation with the king or one of his minions had been inevitable, right from the very beginning. Predictably, Mohatu did not hesitate to point out that fact. "If Rex sent Ganji after our tails, then that battle was going to happen anyway, no matter what I did," Mohatu added.

"Yeah... that's what I meant," the lioness agreed. "It just... didn't go over as well as I expected."

"Neither did the cactus field," Mohatu retorted.

"Well... what all did you tell him?" Mari asked, changing the subject slightly. Obviously, she was not going to dispute that claim. "What did you tell Ganji, I mean," she clarified.

"Nothing," Mohatu replied, allowing Mari to breathe a sigh of relief. "There was no way I was actually going to tell him something important. I was trying to avoid a fight, not escalate it—like you would have done."

The tense atmosphere eased slightly, after Mari suddenly realized that her pride was still safe.

As a dark silence began to fill the air once again, Mari decided to continue speaking. "You know, you scared me tonight. You really had me going... when Rafiki told me what you did, I thought..."

Although the lioness never finished her words, Mohatu knew all too well what she was going to say. "You thought I'd kill Rex... and try to become the king?"

"Yeah," Mari answered sadly. She had feared that since the very first day.

"No..." Mohatu replied immediately. "I'd _never_ do that. It wouldn't be... right." Although he had once been the king, that certainly wasn't who he wanted to be anymore.

Mari leaned in closer to the lion, upon hearing his words. A quiet purr nearly escaped her, while she rubbed the top of her wet head across Mohatu's cheek. "It wouldn't be right for me to leave you to die, either," she muttered, the corners of her mouth moving upward slightly. "You know that."

Mohatu almost argued with her, but he was interrupted before he got the chance.

"Now," Mari cleared her throat. "How are we getting out of here? You _know_ I don't like dark places." She repeated her question again, although this time, she seemed a bit more relaxed.

"I still don't know," Mohatu answered, forcing himself to take his mind off of what he was going to say.

Although, to be truthful, he was hardly even sure he wanted to leave the cave. After all, he had dragged Mari into it for a very big reason. "I kinda just want to lay down and dry off," Mohatu continued.

"Where?"

"Maybe if we go upstream a little bit, we'll find somewhere..."

Mari stood dead still for a split second, as Mohatu continued talking. "That's it!" she interjected. "Water always runs from high to low, so if we walk upstream, that should take us to the surface."

"Yeah..." Mohatu agreed. "But I'm kinda tired."

"There's _no way_ I'm sleeping in this cave," Mari retorted.

"Mari..." the lion pleaded, "we're probably safer in here than we would be if we slept on the sand above. You heard them. They're looking for us."

Mari shot her companion a stern gaze, despite knowing he was not able to see it. As much as she wanted to disagree, she had to admit he was right. Yet, her imagination could not help but complicate the situation. "But what about cave spiders, sea monsters, manbearpig, or even mole people?"

Mohatu nudged the lioness upstream with his nose. "If you want to get out of here so quickly, then let's get going."

* * *

Only the sound of running water filled the ambient air, as the two lions trekked upstream through the cavern. Unfortunately, there was nothing to see but absolute darkness in every direction. Over time, the chill of the subterranean river even brought a cold state of numbness, only adding to the pain.

But, on the metaphorically bright side, the ground had started to level out quite a bit. The two were no longer holding onto the edge of a cliff; they were walking upstream, with only the lower half of their paws in the water. It was a tough, strenuous walk through a sandy-like substance, which proved to be quite tiring.

"How far down did we fall?" Mari finally asked, rather lethargically.

"Don't know," Mohatu answered. "Probably at least a few hundred tails."

"I believe it," Mari added. As the mound of sand they walked on rose up above the surface of the water, the lioness yawned. "If you want to take a break, that's fine with me."

Quite simply, Mohatu answered the lioness's question by collapsing onto the sand, almost immediately.

Mari bumped into him rather awkwardly, as she followed behind in the dark. It was not long before she realized that he had stopped walking completely. Slowly, she padded over beside him, keeping unusually close, so that she knew he was still there.

Before the lioness sat down as well, she placed her paw over Mohatu's, holding it there indefinitely. Although she had calmed down quite a bit since she originally fell into the cave of darkness, the lioness had not warmed up to the idea of being blinded entirely.

Of course, Mohatu did not seem to mind. The lion sighed, feeling somewhat more relieved than before, knowing that Mari sought comfort in his presence.

At one point, he had been the biggest jerk in the entire Pridelands. He was a brutal warrior, and a ruthless conqueror. But Mari, apparently, saw him in a different light.

It was true that she stripped away all his power and influence, by wiping his mind and declaring the king to be dead. But she did not act like he was once the king. From the very beginning, she had treated him as if he had been a rouge lion.

It was almost as if that is what she _wanted_ to believe. It was almost as if that was what she truly believed.

But even still, there was more to it than that. There had to be.

Although Mohatu did not want to think about it any further, she acted like she was attracted to him. Despite all reason, clearly implying that she never would be, the idea had not left his mind.

The lioness already admitted to fearing that he was going to become the next king. Perhaps she was indeed attracted to him, but _that_ was why she did not like him.

Unfortunately, after several seconds, Mohatu only realized that the thought was too painful to consider much further. There was a chance that her affection was only a plot to make him follow her command. That terrifying thought was equally possible, but unimaginably agonizing.

Yet, regardless of whether or not he would like the answer, he had to know for sure. Now that Mari had calmed down from her initial rant, this was the time to ask.

As the duo sat still in the sand, breathing slowly, Mohatu could not help but to say _something_. He only hoped it would give him an answer, to better understand the truth. "So this was your plan all along?" the lion tried to ask casually, although his words seemed somewhat forced.

Mari lifted her head up briefly. "Well... yeah. It was."

"When Leo returned from the Badlands and declared himself as king... you..."

"It's true," Mari sighed. "I know it's hard to believe, and I know you don't want to believe it, but it really is all true. I've been hoping that you would lead me back through your own paw prints..."

"And... that's it?" Mohatu asked rather quickly. "That's why I'm still alive?"

"Well..." Mari tried to continue, but paused for a moment. "Whatever happened to _you_ out here may just be the biggest disaster in the entire history of lionkind."

Although it seemed like she was exaggerating, Mari actually wasn't.

She allowed herself to take a deep breath, before she continued to speak again. "Whatever entity it was that twisted and corrupted your mind out here... I don't know. But it's a safe bet it will be the death of all of us, unless we can do something about it."

"So... that's it then?" Mohatu asked, clearly not wanting to hear the answer, as evident from his tone of voice.

"Yes," Mari answered easily. "That was the plan... that's why were out here. That's why we're not trying to kill Rex. Instead, we're going after the bigger problem."

Honestly, Mari was surprised she managed to fool the lion for as long as she had. Still, despite all questionable doubt, she was unsure of whether or not the lion actually believed her. Although he seemed to have accepted the truth, she wasn't entirely certain.

Mohatu gulped before asking another question. "But... what about after that?"

"I'm not sure," Mari responded hesitantly, almost avoiding a direct answer.

"What will we do after we get to Lea Halalela? What will happen after we confront whatever evil is out there?" Mohatu suddenly blanched, as he prepared himself to hear the answer he feared.

The lioness remained silent for several seconds, before her response slowly rolled off of her tongue. "I guess we'll go back to Pride Rock, and things will go back to the way they were before."

Fortunately, Mohatu picked up on her careful use of the word, 'we.' Still, he found it hard to believe that he would simply be accepted back within Mari's pride, after what he did. "You mean, I'd be accepted into your pride?"

"_Of course_ you would," Mari replied easily. "We never left you. You left us."

"But..." Mohatu nearly couldn't believe her.

"We're family," Mari replied. "We help each other out... that's what we're supposed to do."

"But I tried to kill you!" Mohatu retorted. "Don't I-"

"No," the lioness stated simply. "We're not like _that_. I told you that before, and I meant it."

"Okay," Mohatu mumbled quietly. Even still, his question had not totally been answered. There was one important bit of information remaining, that he desperately needed to know. "But... what about _you_?"

"What do you mean?" Mari inquired, as she felt Mohatu's heart beat a little bit quicker. "What about me?"

"What will you do after this is all over... _if_ it is ever over?"

"I don't really know," the lioness replied truthfully. Yet, as she heard the lion phrase his question again in her mind, she began to understand what he was actually wanting to know. It was quite obvious.

"I haven't put much thought into it," Mari answered indirectly, pretending not to know. "To be honest, I'm surprised I have survived this long... and I'd rather not plan my own funeral, you know. I just don't think about it."

"But what about... you know," Mohatu nodded through the dark, trying to ask his question without actually asking it. "Do I... do I have a place in your future?"

The lioness shook her head, sighing heavily. She was right about what he was thinking, and she wasn't going to be able to avoid it this time. "You mean... like..."

"What?" Mohatu leaned back, suddenly confused by the lioness's strange change of voice. "I'm just asking."

Obviously, he thought that if he could fix the mess that he created, they would go back to live in Pride Rock. That, in itself, was true. But there was more to it than that; he also hoped that she would then fall in love with him. It was what he wanted, no doubt about it.

Mari paused suddenly. It would have been a very blunt thing for her to say, if she chose to admit to knowing that. Instead, she remained speechless, while she considered her options.

"Well..." Mohatu replied, hesitating slightly. "I just want to know. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine..."

Mari shook her head. She didn't want to say it, but she had to. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. "I know what you're thinking... but it's not like that at all."

"I know it isn't," Mohatu interjected. "But don't you still-"

"Mohatu..." Mari sighed again, very heavily. She had no choice but to speak her mind. "I know you want me to like you... and I know you _think_ that it's going to happen... given the situation that we're in."

It was true. It was only a small hope that remained in the back of Mohatu's mind, but it was there, nevertheless. He had not given up on the thought completely.

He couldn't give it up. Mari was attractive—nearly as attractive as the thought of sitting in a hammock and chewing on catnip. Even after discovering his past in such a dramatic way, he could not stop thinking about her.

Apparently, at long last, Mari managed to realize that.

To Mari, it was obvious, because that was what they been taught to believe ever since they were cubs. It was in almost every bedtime story she could remember: the lion became a hero for helping the lioness, and the lioness, in turn, fell in love with the hero.

But that was not her obligation.

"Well... I..." Mohatu mumbled again. He was baffled by the lioness's ability to read his mind.

"I'm not saying that _won't_ happen, but it doesn't have to work that way," Mari replied. "The entire idea is just... weird. I'm not suddenly going to fall in love with you, if you become the badass hero who saves everyone."

"No... of course not," Mohatu forced himself to agree.

"You already did that," Mari continued. "You _were_ the badass, and you _did_ save us from Musashi. I know what you're capable of, probably even better than you do. You don't have to try to impress me; you did that long ago."

Mohatu blushed slightly. "I wasn't trying to impress you..." he lied out of embarrassment. It was, unfortunately, a fruitless effort.

Mari's voice began to drop down to a whisper. "Look, all I'm saying is that... although what I said this morning wasn't true, I... I'm just not interested. Not now, at least."

Mohatu nearly jumped back, while he almost coughed up a furball. Had she just admitted that she lied that morning?

"It isn't true," Mari added, clarifying her original point. "I'm not actually gay; I lied about that too, because I wanted you to _forget_ about it. It was just the first thing I could think of. And, I still want you to forget about it... but I'd be stupid to think that it can actually happen that quickly."

"I get it," Mari replied to herself, seemingly ranting at this point. "I know you like me—I'm not too surprised about that. In fact, I should have _expected_ that." The lioness took a deep breath before speaking further, while she felt her own pulse increase. "And... it's not that I don't like you, either," Mari continued, trying to be as polite as she possibly could.

Mohatu sighed heavily. "What is it then? Is it because of what I did?"

"Well, not necessarily..." Mari whispered honestly. "I'm sorry I lied to you like that... but I wasn't ready to tell you the whole truth."

As much as Algenubi would have disagreed, Mohatu could not blame her for that. "I know..." he replied in agreement. In all reality, he wasn't ready to hear the truth, either. He was not sure if he ever would be.

"The truth is," Mari admitted, "We don't need to spend the rest of our lives together to be happy. Every lion always thinks that's the way it _must_ be, but it isn't true. That's... ridiculous. I like you, as a friend, but... I don't know."

"But really..." the lioness continued, rather hesitantly. "It hardly matters. Now isn't the time to be thinking about such things."

Before she finished speaking completely, Mari frowned, suddenly realizing what she had said. She did not mean to imply that what he felt didn't matter, as that was certainly not true. There had to be a better way to explain it, she thought.

"Okay," Mohatu breathed out a sigh of relief. At the very least, he now knew the truth.

"I mean..." Mari nearly paused for a moment, "if you're Romeo, and I'm Juliet, then neither of us are going to survive for much longer. You know they _die_ at the end. The less drama there is between us, the better off we'll be."

Mohatu rubbed the ground below his paw. "I... don't think that's-"

"I know it's a little bit easier for _me_ to say that," Mari added, her voice gradually decreasing in volume as she continued to speak. "I'm a lioness, and I'm not in heat... _of course_ I'm going to say that."

Mohatu stood still, completely unsure of what to say.

"Thankfully," Mari added, speaking a bit louder. "You know... if that wasn't the case, I would never be able to get anything done. And with you around, we'd have an even bigger problem to deal with!"

Afterward, Mari nudged the lion beside her to ease the tension. She tried to force a laugh, both out of embarrassment and pity. "Haha, it must be terrible, having to deal with _that_ all the time. I don't know how you lions _ever_ manage to think clearly."

This was the first time Mari had even mentioned the subject directly, and she suddenly started speaking her mind, all at once. She had probably been waiting quite a while to tell Mohatu all this, and the darkness of the cave probably helped to reduce the awkwardness of the conversation by quite a bit.

But regardless, Mari's sudden change of attitude was still rather surprising. Mohatu did not expect her to say as much as she did, and it continued to leave him in shock for a rather long time. The lion stared into darkness silently, growing even more uncomfortable with every beat of his heart. He had little choice but to let Mari speak once again, as his words eluded him.

"But really: it's not that I don't like you..." Mari added, gazing into the dark void ahead of her. "You've always been my friend... and I guess that's _really_ why we're here. I mean... I _wanted_ to do this with you. I _wanted_ to help you redeem yourself."

The lioness paused, pushing her paw through the dense, wet sand of the cavern floor to ease her nerves. "It's just that we're not in the right situation to even begin thinking about a relationship. Right now, it would only overcomplicate things... and it's already complicated enough."

"Ugh... yeah," the lion agreed, albeit reluctantly.

However, he could not help but to notice that what the lioness had said was true, to a large extent. Even with all thoughts of romance aside, the situation between the two lions had already become quite a mess.

They were friends, then they were apart, then they were enemies, and then they were friends again. All the while, Mohatu didn't even remember half of it. It was, perhaps, the most complicated relationship ever, and that was only scratching the surface of the iceberg.

"Maybe... after things settle down a bit, I'll think about it... if this all works out," Mari tried to add a positive twist to her words. "Even after all that you've done, I don't think you're a bad lion; it's just not the time for _that_. Right now, my only concern is the fate of _our _pride... which includes you and Rex."

She was stretching the truth a bit, considering that Mohatu wasn't exactly the kind of lion she was looking for, in terms of a mate. Leo was her best friend, and almost a brother to her, even. Admittedly, the entire idea seemed really weird, aside from the unbelievable weirdness of Leo being reborn in itself.

Yet, Leo wasn't her brother, and she had found him to be quite attractive. That was especially obvious during their later days of adolescence, back when the drought ravaged the Pridelands.

She did indeed have a crush on him at one point in time, but that went away quickly, soon after she thought he had died in the desert, fighting hyenas. Her season ended as soon as it began, and she had not looked back since.

For Mohatu, he knew the thought seemed farfetched, but the simple fact that Mari said she would consider it was the best news he had heard in the past week. Consequently, a warm smile formed across the lion's muzzle. "I knew it," he replied, as his mood lightened up considerably. He was lying, of course, but he could not think of much else to say.

Mari raised her hindpaw and kicked the lion gently. "Don't let it go to your head. I still hate you for bringing me in here."

Mohatu sighed once again, this time a little happier. He then tilted his head beside Mari's ear. "Yeah, I know," he purred, almost playfully ignoring her.

After all the lioness had said, Mohatu only came to one conclusion: she did indeed like him after all—she only wished she didn't. Her entire speech was little more than a complex elaboration of that idea.

The lioness's lack of reaction only solidified that belief further into Mohatu's mind. As the two continued to relax on the dense cave sand, he could almost feel a faint rumble of a purr that was certainly not his own.

After all he had been through, that thought helped him get a little bit of sleep.


	20. Light

A/N: Okay, this chapter is now the longest chapter, by such a huge margin it's beyond ridiculous. At well over 8000 words, this is long enough to be its own story. However, as you've probably noticed, the chapters aren't organized as much by length, but more by events and ideas.

Believe it or not, most of this is actually just fluff. It's as fluffy as a bowl of marshmallows, but it's necessary fluff. Well, when I say necessary, I mean necessary for a Lion King story, anyway. :P

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 20: Light**

As the hours of the night approached, a diminishing orange belt of light met the savannah horizon. The silhouette of a pointy rock stood before it, marking the territory as the Pridelands to any who approached with empty paws. It was a symbol of hope, and a monument of peace.

But it was also the next target.

Leo stood dead still in a patch of grass, shadowed by an acacia tree. He gazed up to the naturally elegant structure under the starlight with admiration and awe, before looking back down at the nine other lions behind him.

They were the best of the best, and every last one had sworn an oath to their prophet, the new king. As a combined force, they were the iron fist of the future kingdom.

"That's the den," Leo stated coldly. "We'll have to be careful; it's a natural fortress." The enormous, brown lion turned around to face his home once again, eying the terrain cautiously as his mind rushed to develop a flawless plan of attack.

In the corner of his peripheral vision, he spotted his new friend returning from a reconnaissance flight. "What's the situation, Sheikra?" the lion asked.

The African hawk swooped down immediately, to rest his wings while he prepared to tell the king what he needed to know. "The lionesses just returned from their evening hunt. They are all in the den now," he answered.

"Good," Leo replied.

Meanwhile, Rex approached his older brother slowly from behind. "It's about time," he insisted, scowling with his lack of patience evident in his voice. "We should have been prepared for this months ago..."

"No," the king declared easily, interrupting his younger brother. "Progress has been slow, but we should not rush into battle at every earliest opportunity."

"They will join us, or die. It is the _only_ way," Rex insisted.

Leo growled. "Patience! Victory is never attained by the one to strike first, but the one to strike _last_. Pride Rock will be ours... tonight."

Rex stepped back, shuddering slightly. Clearly, he had overstepped his boundaries. "Yes..."

"Don't go anywhere," Leo demanded. "I want you to lead the attack from the promontory," the lion commanded, looking down on his younger brother. "I will distract them."

The king then shifted his gaze to the eight other felines behind him, standing in a line without a hint of movement. "Ganji, Inari, and Safar, you will approach from the north on Rex's command."

As the three nodded, Leo began to issue orders to the others. "Minerva, Zabayah, and Usama, you will approach from the south on Rex's command."

Leo paused for a moment, wondering what to do with the last two remaining knights. "Malik and Almahdi," the king commanded, "Sheikra will find any stragglers, and you will kill them. None shall leave that den... is that understood?"

"Yes," all nine other felines nodded in unison.

"This may be our most difficult battle yet," Leo stated clearly, but without hesitation. "There are five males in the pride... but they are a coalition. They have no chain of command... no structure, no order, and no leadership."

"They do not know the art of war, and they have never experienced fear," Leo explained, continuing where he left off. "They have a small advantage in numbers, but they do not have our experience."

Rex turned around, speaking earnestly to the knights. "They do not stand a chance against us."

"Expect them to be passive," Leo retorted. "They will not attack unless provoked. We will need to strike hard, and strike fast," the king continued, slamming his paw onto the ground below him. "Like lightning from a cloudless sky."

"Pardon me, sire," Ganji interrupted the king's continuous briefing. "There are ten of us... how could we be outnumbered? No pride is that large..."

"There are only five males, but we should expect heavy resistance from the females as well," Leo added. "Unfortunately, I do not think they will... _cooperate_ very easily. Our victory will be determined by our ability to strike fear into their hearts; we will kill the males first, and force any rebellious lionesses into submission. You know the drill."

"Keep on your guard, and we will not fail," the king concluded, beginning to step away from his subordinates. "We never have before, and we will not do so now."

As the king began to approach his old home at dusk, he looked back up to the sky. "The wisdom and strength of the kings of the past will guide us," he told himself, while the lions behind broke off into their respective groups.

It was not long before his paws met the stones leading up to the promontory, after the short walk. Quietly, he climbed his way up, as a nervous fluttering boomed into the lion's heart.

It had been a year since he had last stepped near the elegant structure, and just as long since he had seen his family. More than likely, they would not recognize him.

The lion's skill and strength had increased tenfold since he fought the hyenas in the desert, and his mane had grown to its fullest. While Leo was little more than a novice when he abandoned his family and ran after Musashi, he was now in his prime. He had discovered the truth about the past, about his ancestors, and about himself. He had become a master of war.

But he had not yet passed his final test.

He did not want to kill his family; in fact, he began to wonder if could even bear to look his father in the eye. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but it was what he had to do. It was his destiny. It was the only way he could reach his full potential and achieve true greatness. They had held him back for long enough.

In addition, the Pridelands were the most resource-rich environment for many hundreds of kilometers in any given direction. If he was truly going to become the the next king, it _had_ to be under his control. The conquest of Pride Rock would not only be a symbolic victory, but a strategic one as well.

Leo knew there would be no better place to declare the center of his kingdom. He knew that his kingdom could only rise for the first time, _after_ the conquest of the Pridelands.

Besides, his kingdom would be his new family. He had to leave his past behind, and the conquest of the Pridelands would be the final step toward achieving that goal. Then, and only then, could he be cleansed from the wretched cradle of ignorance he once lived in.

Suddenly, the lion stepped in front of the entrance to the den, making himself fully visible in the moonlight. He paused, waiting for someone to approach him, while his army gathered in the shadows.

A fully-grown lioness stepped out of the shadow of the den, and into the moonlight as well. She approached cautiously, but tried to maintain a friendly posture. "Hey," she greeted the lion casually, but did not get a response. "Uhm... who are you?"

"_King_ Leo," the lion retorted coldly, lacking any notable emotion.

The lioness stepped forward, smelling the air around the lion carefully. "Leo?" she asked. "You're joking... there's no way..."

Leo growled, clenching his jaw under his breath.

Is it... is it really you?" the lioness continued to ask, too baffled by the situation to comprehend Leo's oddly aggressive body language.

As expected, several murmurs began to erupt in the back of the den. The lions of the pride started to listen in with significant interest.

Meanwhile, Leo did not move. In fact, he focused all his energy into not saying a thing. He only needed to distract them for a bit longer; soon, his knights would arrive, and every lion in the den would be dead.

"It is you, isn't it?" the lioness asked, carrying a smile that nearly reached to the ends of her ears. "Where have you been all this time? I thought you were _dead_!" she exclaimed, growing even more excited with every word.

Two more lions approached the king, wondering what all the ruckus was about. As their eyes met the magnificent figure, it became quite clear. It really was Leo, no doubt about it.

"I have returned from the land of our ancestors, to bring strength, order, and stability to the Pridelands," Leo stated bluntly.

The first lioness tilted her head. "Leo?" she asked, wondering why the lion would not give her much attention. "What are you... don't you remember? It's me! Mari!"

Leo tried as hard as he could to ignore the lioness's heavy words. Instead of acknowledging Mari's presence, he called his father's name. "Busar!"

As Busar approached, Leo extended his seven sharp claws.

The older male's jaw dropped. "Son...?"

"The sun has set on your time here," Leo explained. "Your pride belongs to _me_ now," he commanded, waiting for his father to sit down and roll over as a sign of submission.

Busar immediately noticed his son's aggressive posture, and began to back away slowly. "No..." he whispered. "No! Don't do this! I don't know what happened to you... but I can help."

When Leo last saw his father, they had not parted on good terms. But now, Leo held a very distinct advantage of brute strength. He stepped forward, emphasizing his leonine form and adding a tense quality of pressure into the air. "This is my _kingdom_. Tomorrow, the sun will rise with me as the new king."

"Stop!" Busar commanded, while the four other males stepped forward as well. "Don't do this!"

Leo continued to step forward, growing ever more aggressive with each forceful beat of his heart. "I will succeed, where hundreds of generations before me have not," he continued.

Not surprisingly, chaos interrupted between the many lionesses. Some feared for their lives, while others remained in shock by the sudden news of Leo's return. Disaster was surely brewing in the air.

Leo paused, motioning with his paw for all the males of the pride to step forward and face him head-to-head. "You will join me, or _die_."

"No!" Mari yelled, pushing on the enormous lion from the side. "What are you even...? He's your father! You can't fight him!"

Leo turned around, snarling at the brave lioness. "Yes I can!" he insisted, finally starting to let a bit of emotion show. "He's been holding me back for long enough... he's held us all back!"

"This..." the new king continued, speaking slowly. "This is not the way we are meant to live. We are _lions_! Join me, in battle, and the winner will determine the fate of the Pridelands!"

Mari then strafed to the side, extending her own claws. "I'm not going to let you hurt him," she insisted, with a certain trait of courage that even Leo found to be admirable.

Quickly, Leo threw Mari away from him, and sent the golden lioness crashing into a rock with a minor concussion. Immediately afterward, he focused his attention back on the males.

A loud roar began to fill the air. All the lions of the pride focused their attention on Rex, who stood behind Leo, at the very center of the promontory. In the shadow of the night, an army of six other leonine warriors stood still, waiting for battle on both sides.

Before a grand battle erupted out of the darkness, two of the males of Mari's pride lunged forward, immediately pouncing on Leo and pinning him to the ground.

"Run!"

While the king was pinned down, a group of several leonine figures escaped the den. They charged forward, running as fast as they possibly could. They decided to flee.

Several other screams and roars ignited the once-peaceful atmosphere of dusk. Many of the lionesses managed to escape, but four of the males stood around a defeated Leo to hold their ground. All five males of the pride, _except_ Busar.

Although the king stood down, unharmed, his entire platoon was ready to come to his aid. Rex and the six other knights did not pursue the small group that had escaped. Instead, they walked forward, surrounding the remaining four males of Mari's pride, along with a few scattered lionesses seeking shelter in the corners of the den.

Within a matter of seconds, several claws clenched down into the critical veins of one of the males. With a deafening shriek, the defender attempted to turn around and fight, but soon fell lifelessly onto the ground from the assassin's strike.

One down.

The three remaining defenders jumped up at once, instantly turning to fight six of Leo's deadliest warriors. Their focus shifted away from Leo entirely, instead concentrating all their attention on the knights surrounding them.

Two down.

A giant pool of blood began to spill onto the rock below, in combination with many screams of pain and horror, as the cataclysm erupted in full force. The three opposing lions were swept up into a battle almost immediately, giving Leo time to go in for a kill.

Three down.

The battle did not even last for a minute. It was over before it even began. The males were outnumbered two to one, and outmatched by a far greater factor in skill.

As the first king of pride rock rose to his paws once again, he wrapped his forepaws around the head of one of the pride's defenders. Leo gripped the lion by the sides of his face, throwing him furiously onto the ground below. From there, Leo jabbed his hind leg onto the opposing male's stomach, quickly puncturing through the skin and damaging many critical organs as his claws slid across.

Four down.

By the time the king looked back, not a single opposing lion remained. Only one defender of the pride could move, and it was only a simple twitch of a muscle. It was little more than a reflex—a small remaining flicker of life, fading away as the chill of death overcame him.

As the knights emerged from their shadow of darkness, Pride Rock fell under the control of king Leo. He walked around, finally, intentionally stepping over all the males of the Pride. After a few seconds, they all rested cold and lifelessly on the ground.

They were dead.

They were all dead, every last one except Busar. As such, not a single lion in Leo's former pride was capable of opposing the new order. Only a few insignificant lionesses remained in the den, and all of them were shivering and bowing in submission.

Leo grinned deviously, inspecting the dead bodies of his family below his paws. He had _total_ control.

Almost. There was only one little tiny problem: Busar had escaped, and many lionesses followed him.

"SHEIKRA!" Leo demanded at once.

"Yes, sire?" the bird answered from above.

"Some of them are still _alive_. Where have the others gone?" Leo asked coldly.

"I..." Sheikra choked for a moment. "They escaped, your highness. They hid in the grasses."

"Malik and Almahdi!" the king shifted his attention away from the bird of prey, calling for his knights.

"Yes, milord?" one of the lions asked, stepping in front of the mighty king.

"We're really sorry," the other pleaded.

Leo tilted his head up, allowing his mane to blow in the wind for a second before he decided to speak. "You know what the punishment is for failure..."

"But... we're sorry! I can track them down... I'll find them! I promise!"

Leo did not bother to listen to the knight's pleas. With a quick strike, the first king of the Pridelands dug his claws into the throats of both knights simultaneously, killing each with a forepaw.

"Welcome home, _brothers_," he hissed coldly, looking down at the dead bodies of his own warriors for only a split second, while they, too, fell down to the rocky surface.

However, oddly enough, Leo was not speaking to his two victims, but to his new pride as a whole. "Only those who are worthy will survive... as you will soon learn," he continued, in an attempt to intimidate the other knights.

Rex stepped over beside his true brother once again. "That is what makes us great," he added.

* * *

A sudden jolt awakened Mohatu from his heavy state of sleep. He opened his eyes, scanning the world around him, but found nothing. All around him, there was nothing other than darkness.

No, he was not at Pride Rock. He had already been there, and he had already killed off half of Mari's pride. That was in the past. In reality, he was sitting in the floor of a dark, wet cave, right beside the very lioness he almost killed that night.

Mohatu's breathing began to soften over time, as his vision of conquest slowly faded away. It may have been a dream, but he knew it was also a memory. He had indeed attacked his own pride, and now he was suffering the consequences of his actions.

He knew what he did, but to actually see it unfold in his dreams—that was another matter entirely. It struck him down, right from the very inside of his own mind. It was a horrendous thought, but the visualization was many times worse.

Mohatu closed his eyes, trying as hard as he could not to cry again. He couldn't; not now. Not in front of Mari, at least.

The former king lifted his head up, before pushing himself off the ground and away from Mari. In consequence, the lioness rolled over slightly, but did not awaken.

As he realized he was free to move, Mohatu stood up on his paws, and began walking away from the sleeping lioness. He kept cautious, walking slowly as to not bump his muzzle into any columns that were hiding in the dark.

Perhaps, he just needed to get moving, he thought. He needed to get up, walk around for a bit, and try to clear his mind with the much more pleasant sounds and smells of reality.

Eventually, Mohatu reached what he felt to be a large, wet stalagmite on the floor of the cave. Realizing that he had walked far enough away, the lion leaned his forepaws on the cone-shaped structure, and began to wipe his muzzle on the surface.

A mixture of water and dissolved limestone began to seep into his bloody fur, around his face, forepaws, and mane, as he tried his best to hide from his past.

Meanwhile, the images of blood and wounds of his family burned even deeper into the lion's mind, filling his conscience with inescapable thoughts of death. "I don't know what to do," Mohatu sighed, whispering as quietly as he could with the intention of allowing Mari to continue her slumber. "I can't escape this..."

Unfortunately, the lion's sudden movement caused an entire colony of bats above him to form into a cloud, flying erratically and making a frightening cacophony of screams to pierce the air.

On the other side of the den, a scared and frustrated lioness began to jump around. "Mohatu?" she called. "Mohatu! What was that? Where did you go?"

The lion groaned, swatting many bats out of his mane, as they continued to scatter and bounce into him. The least he wanted was to have to deal with a frantic lioness, at this point.

"Dammit, Mohatu! Get over here!"

Mohatu pushed himself away from the stalagmite, and tried to hold his paws steady on the ground. It was not an easy task, by any means, but he managed to do it, to feign a small degree of strength. "I'm over here," he replied, although his voice was weaker than he had ever heard it before.

Mari skipped over to the location from where she heard the lion's voice, but tumbled into several rocks along the way. "Ouch! Why did you have to-"

The lioness's voice suddenly began to turn into a muffled cry, as her muzzle collided into the lion's fur.

She found him. Mohatu had not walked as far as she thought.

The lion turned around, but suddenly found himself lacking the strength to continue to stand. His paws collapsed to the floor below, making a slight splashing noise as he fell into an extremely shallow pool of mineral water.

"Are you okay?" Mari asked instinctively, upon hearing the noise of his battle with gravity. The lioness stood still for a moment, listening closely to the echoing sound of Mohatu's body crashing to the ground. "You didn't get hurt earlier... did you?"

"No," Mohatu answered. "I just wanted to get some fresh air, that's all," he replied, but his lethargic tone of voice almost prevented him from speaking entirely.

Mari backed away slightly, while her mood began to cool off. As the echo of her companion's voice continued to flow through the dense air of the cave, she started to notice the lion's troubled breathing.

The lioness stood still for a moment, trying to observe the lion in front of her despite a total lack of light. "Mohatu...?" she asked in a state of worry, but failed to finish her question.

Mohatu closed his eyes, breathing heavily. He had little doubt that the lioness was about to pick his brain.

"Are you... crying?" the lioness asked slowly, hardly speaking with any more energy than Mohatu.

"No," he retorted. In his opinion, it was a very dumb question for Mari to ask. Even if the answer had been yes, he still wouldn't have admitted it. "It's... nothing," Mohatu lied. "It was just a bad dream."

"It was another memory, wasn't it?" Mari asked softly.

For nearly a long and agonizing minute, Mohatu did not speak. Of course, the lioness was right. It was a horrible memory. He only wanted to forget about it, but telling the lioness certainly wasn't going to help him reach that goal.

"Was it about me?" the lioness asked, wondering why he was being so quiet. "If it's about what I said earlier..." Mari began, trying to apologize, "I probably shouldn't have... you know I didn't mean to upset you."

"Just... don't ask," Mohatu retorted sadly. "Don't."

"Mohatu..." the lioness whispered again, this time much warmer with her tone of voice.

As a result, a tear began to run from the lion's eye, before he could even say anything. As much as he wanted to hold onto his masculinity, he couldn't. Even with all his strength, he could not prevent himself from crying pathetically in front of a lioness.

Not just any lioness, but the lioness he tried to kill. The lioness who saved his life, even _after_ all he did. It was the same lioness who carried the one spark of light, surrounding an entire sea of darkness within his soul.

_She_ made him cry.

But at least she could only hear his distress, and not see it. She didn't have to know. No lion had to know.

"I..." Mohatu groaned. "I don't want to talk about it." Even if it would help him, he definitely wasn't going to burden Mari with _his_ problems. She didn't deserve that.

Mari stood still, keeping a short, respectful distance from the lion. "I think you need to," she insisted politely. "I know you're not usually like this... unless something is bothering you."

"You don't even know what it is," Mohatu retorted, his voice cracking between every syllable.

"I would, if you tell me," Mari answered simply. She paused, waiting for the lion to reply, but he never did. "Come on... you can tell me."

She just wasn't going to give up, was she?

No, of course not. That was the mind of a lioness: always trying to talk about problems. It was almost as if she thought it would actually make him feel better. Could she really not understand that he already said no?

Mari planted her hind legs down onto the flooded ground, resting her weight above them. "I'm not going to stand here and watch while you're obviously upset about _something_. I'm here to help."

Clearly, resistance was futile. She was not going to stop until he gave her an answer, so that was what he had to do. "It was a memory," Mohatu explained, at long last. "I killed them..."

Mari stood behind the lion in a mild state of shock. Never, in a thousand years, could she have imagined _king_ Leo acting in such a way. Not only had her plan worked, it had almost worked a little too well. She had convinced him that what he did was wrong, but now she had to convince him that she believed he could make amends.

"I know what you did," Mari sighed. "I was _there_. You aren't telling me anything I don't already know."

"But I wasn't there!" the lion retorted. Suddenly, he had given up on trying to keep it mellow. "I have no idea what all I did! I only know part of the story... and I'm supposed to assume that's _all_? I'm supposed to assume what I just saw is _the worst_ of it?"

Mari closed her eyes, but a chill of emotion still managed to escape her as well. Although Mohatu could not see it, a smile formed across the lioness's face. Instinctively, she rested her chin above the lion's mane for a brief moment. "Welcome back, Leo."

Mohatu barely moved. He continued to sit still, with his tear-stained muzzle hanging above the wet limestone floor of the cave. "What?"

"I really missed you," the lioness purred. "It's good to have the real Leo back."

"What do you even mean?" Mohatu inquired, his voice still very coarse from crying.

"You're Leo, not _king_ Leo. If you _weren't_ upset about what happened, then I'd be worried..." Mari continued, stepping closer toward the lion. "But you've changed back to the lion I once knew... you're not the king anymore. You're the same lion you were before all that happened; we're both just a little older now."

"No..." Mohatu interrupted. "It's not like that."

"Yes it is," Mari argued. "Maybe you don't see it, but-"

"I know what I did," the lion insisted. "I was the one to organize the siege of Pride Rock. It was intentional. I... I was fully aware of what I was doing... and I _wanted_ to do it."

"I don't care," Mari argued. "We've already been through this. It doesn't matter what you did. It's in the past."

"You don't understand," Mohatu interrupted. "You don't have any idea what it's like-"

Mari flattened her ears. "Try me."

"You haven't plotted the demise of several prides."

"You're right. I haven't," Mari conceded. She leaned backward for a moment, lifting her head up. "But you know what I've done. I've been lying to you this whole time... up until last night." The lioness cleared her throat, before she began to speak even louder. "Every day, I thought about what I did. I started to regret ever thinking it was a good idea in the first place... that guilt was one of the most difficult things I've ever dealt with."

Mari breathed another deep sigh. "I've killed other lions too, and I've been plotting the demise of an entire kingdom, ever since this all began. Hell, I've turned a king against his own kingdom!"

"But-"

"There's just as much blood on my paws as there is on yours. I know what the life of a killer is like... I've been living it too." Mari shook her head, lowering her voice as she began speaking a bit slower. "I still remember the first time I killed another lion... I wasn't able to sleep for a week after that."

"You haven't done anything wrong," Mohatu retorted. "Not like I have."

"If I have brought you _this_ much pain, then yes, I have done something wrong," Mari continued. "I never wanted anything like this to happen; that's why I never told you."

Mohatu groaned. "You don't get it..."

"Yes I do," Mari stood up, glancing down at the dark blur where she would normally have seen a lion, had there been light. "You regret what you've done. That's okay. You're only a lion... you're not perfect. I know you _think_ you are, but you're not."

Anther tear ran down the lion's muzzle, while Mari tried to comfort him. Never before had he felt so weak and hopeless. "But what am I supposed to do?" Mohatu asked. His voice was almost as high-pitched as it had been when he was a cub. "I can't go on like this."

"You have to," Mari answered. "We need you. If you can't help me fight the kingdom, then we're all dead. I don't care if this is your fault... you're the _only_ lion capable of fixing this. And I know you can... you're Leo. You're the type of lion we _need_."

"No," Mohatu muttered. "I can't fix this."

"This whole situation is nothing but a giant furball," Mari insisted. "No one blames this on you..."

"But it _is_ my fault," Mohatu retorted. "If it wasn't for me, nothing bad would have happened."

"Aww, come on," the lioness mewed. "There was a drought. Musashi was planning to take over the Pridelands... we were in for a disaster, no matter what. You were always just as much of a hero as you were a conqueror. You were _both_ those things..."

"But..." Mohatu tried to reply, but lost the ability to speak. "No," the lion finally stated. "That's what you don't understand. It wasn't Musashi, it wasn't the ancient kings... or anything! It was only me... it's all my fault."

Obviously, the lioness's words weren't working as well as she planned. Instead, she tried something else.

Mari lifted one of her forepaws up, placing it over the lion's shoulder. For several seconds, Mari rested her paw there, allowing Mohatu to feel her graceful presence. After a while, the lioness began working her paw up the lion's neck, and through the manefur behind his ear.

Mohatu's heart skipped a beat, as he felt the tickling sensation of the lioness's paw. "What are you doing?" he asked softly, turning around.

"Just... relax," Mari insisted. She waited for the lion's head to fall back down on his paws, before she continued to move again.

Many seconds passed in silence, before that actually happened. Mohatu turned his head back around to its natural position, resting it above his forepaws, and barely above the shallow layer of water.

As the lion stood still, Mari began digging her claws through the lion's mane, massaging the back of his ear. Almost immediately, her actions started to elicit a mumble of a purr from her companion.

"Relax," Mari repeated herself. "It's okay."

The lioness took a deep breath, before deciding how to explain what she intended to say. All the while, she continued to knead at the itchy patch of fur behind his ear. "The problem is, you can probably only remember what happened _right before_ your mind was wiped."

"Uh-huh," Mohatu replied quietly.

"I'm not sure if you'll ever regain your memories completely," Mari added. "I doubt it. But I know for sure, that what you _can_ remember is the _worst_ of it. I knew you for years before any of that ever happened..."

Almost immediately, Mohatu's mood began to improve slightly, as his painful thoughts started to escape from the damaged depths of his mind. The lioness's massage, in combination with her warm voice, was enough to begin calming him.

"You weren't always a king," Mari continued. "I knew you for more than half my life, and you were my best friend."

"You really did mean that?" Mohatu asked lethargically, almost not believing the lioness after what he had seen. She had said it several times before, but perhaps he was only beginning to understand what she actually meant.

"Yeah," Mari smiled, continuing to scratch behind the lion's ear. "That's how I know this will make you happy. It always did."

Obviously, she was right; it did seem to have a tranquilizing effect on the lion. She knew he liked the back of his ears to be scratched.

For Mohatu, it was very weird, in a way, but he hardly cared, considering how good it felt. The lion sniffed, clearing his sinuses and allowing his purr to increase in volume. He then brought his head in closer to the lioness's paw, forcing her claws deeper into his skin to scratch his constant itch.

"You were the one to teach me everything I knew about fighting," Mari continued. "We spent half the day sparring, every day... for almost two entire years. You taught me everything you knew..." Mari sighed happily, remembering the best times of her life. "I learned from you, and you practiced your new techniques on me. It was all in good fun, and we got pretty good at it. We played games too..."

Mari pushed herself in closer to the lion with her three other paws, beginning to purr slightly. "There was one time we tried to build a dam around the waterhole... and another time we went to the elephant graveyard and tried to find out what made it so creepy. We also climbed trees, and you showed me all the cool places you found."

"You also taught me how to hunt months before my mom ever even tried," the lioness continued. "You were only a bit older than me, of course, but you were a prodigy! You made it look so easy. I never understood how you were able to do what you did with such little practice... but you helped me become the huntress I am today. You taught me so much more than my mom ever did."

Mari cleared her throat slightly, as she began to recall her more sensitive memories. "And... when my dad died, you didn't leave my side for three whole days. You weren't just a badass..." Mari added, gently stroking the lion with her other paw, "you looked after our pride, too."

The lioness slowed down her breathing a bit, reminiscing those years of her late cubhood. "I'm sure you don't remember any of that, but we had the best life..."

"But I took that away," Mohatu interrupted suddenly.

"No," Mari replied. "You made me who I am today. Without you... I don't know what would have happened."

"But I..."

"Leo," Mari interrupted, finally withdrawing her paw. "I don't know what happened to you in the Badlands, after you fought Musashi... but all I can say is that I wish I went with you." Mari looked down at her paws, but could not see them. "Sometimes... I wonder..."

"Huh? Why did you stop?"

Mari twitched her tail, suddenly taking a break from her speech. "Roll over," she commanded lightly.

As Mari expected, Mohatu did not hesitate to do as she told. He leaned onto his side, allowing all four of his paws to rest freely in the space between him and the lioness.

In Mohatu's mind, he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that Mari knew so much about him. It was embarrassing, no doubt, but everything the Mari did only brought him comfort. She did not make him feel stupid or weak. She understood what he was going through.

But perhaps even more importantly, she was beginning to make him feel loved. That, in itself, was incredibly distracting. Mari's acceptance was all he truly wanted. Although he had only begun to realize it, that was all he cared about, right from the very beginning.

"I wonder..." Mari repeated herself, using her claws to gently comb through the lion's dirty mane, cleaning out bits of dried blood. "If I had gone with you, would you still have become the king? Would I have been able to save you?"

"I don't know," Mohatu rested his head back down on the ground, waiting for the lioness to continue.

"Or..." Mari paused, before speaking hesitantly while she continued to knead at the lion's mane. "Would I have become your queen? Would we have turned against our pride together?"

Mohatu's jaw nearly dropped. Did she actually just say that she might have considered turning against her pride with him? Mari, the one lioness to resist her friend's kingdom with all her strength... becoming a queen herself? That thought was unimaginable.

Mohatu sighed, his mood lightening up slightly. "I... I guess..."

Mari stopped moving her paw for a moment, as she accidentally bumped into an open wound in the dark. Before Mohatu could react, Mari rested her chin beside the healing patch of skin.

"Look," Mari continued, whispering, "when you left to fight Musashi, I wanted to go with you... but I didn't. I really don't know what happened to you during or after that, but I wish I could have been there for you."

Mari moved her paw around, combing the underside of Mohatu's mane and across his belly with a slow, lateral motion. "It's one thing to play around, like we did... but to be _forced_ to actually kill another creature out of cold blood? It's not an easy thing to live with, that's for sure..."

"It isn't," Mohatu agreed, trying to bring himself to actually listen to the lioness's words.

"When you attacked us, I was with our pride," Mari continued, "so it was a bit easier for me to deal with... but you and Rex didn't have anyone. Especially after discovering the whole prophecy thing... I can't even imagine what that would have been like."

"I..." Mohatu paused. He wanted to say something, but he had no idea what it was. For better or worse, his mind was almost totally blank.

"I know... maybe it seems like I'm being a _little_ naive," Mari tried to read the lion's thoughts, rubbing her paw a bit faster, playfully, across his belly. "But all I'm saying is that..."

The lioness struggled to find her words for a moment, while she tried to remember what it was that she actually wanted to say. "I don't know what happened to you, but I'm not here to judge you for it. You were my friend, and you still are—I'm here to help you. I'm not here to make things worse."

"But you-" Mohatu insisted, before being cut off again.

"It doesn't matter," the lioness added. "I know you want to make up for what you've done, and as long as that's what you're trying to do, I'm with you to the end." Mari lifted her head up, before speaking again. "I know you can do it. I know you want to do it. _We_ can do it."

"I..." Mohatu began to stutter.

"Leo," the lioness continued softly. "I know you've been through a lot. We all have. But... we just need to move on, and learn from it."

The lion lifted his head up off the ground, finally thinking of something to say. Although he still felt quite remorseful, his mood had already improved significantly. "What's there to learn?" he asked. "There's so much I don't even remember."

"You created the kingdom. You must have learned something, because now you want to destroy it."

"I was wrong..." Mohatu admitted.

"Well... yeah," Mari replied, retracting her paw once again. "That's it: _you were wrong_. That's all there is to it."

Mohatu sighed, tilting his head up a bit further. "But that mistake killed more than half our pride... I just wish I could change that."

"You can't," the lioness replied. "It's impossible to change the past. But you can either run from it, or learn from it."

Mohatu remained still for a moment, contemplating the lioness's words of wisdom. His mind, however, soon began focusing on other, more immediate thoughts. "Can you scratch behind my ear again?" the lion asked, intentionally changing the subject. "Or... what about the other one?"

"Well..." Mari held her breath for a second, "you must be feeling better now."

Mohatu smirked. "Fine," he replied, grinning as he rolled himself back over. His increasingly optimistic and lighthearted attitude was clearly emerging from his voice.

Once again, the lion rested on his paws, with Mari sitting right beside him. For a brief moment, the lioness lifted her forepaw up out of curiosity. She was unsure of what Mohatu was actually thinking, although she was happy to hear his more playful voice speaking.

"I'll learn from the past," Mohatu continued, "but not until some other time. Y'know... later. Tomorrow. In the morning."

The lion wiped his tears away with his paw, before resting his head comfortably above his paws. "So... are you going to scratch my other ear?"

"Hah," Mari chuckled. She wrapped her paws loosely around the lion's mane once again, and began scratching behind his far ear for a brief moment. "Let's get out of this cave first..."

Mohatu considered the idea briefly, but decided against it. Even as embarrassing as it was to have confided to Mari, he did not regret doing so. He was beginning to feel comfortable in her close presence, and he only began to hope that the special moment wasn't about to end.

"We can do that later," the lion insisted, not moving a single muscle as he continued to lay on the wet ground. "I'm going back to sleep."

Mari's ears twitched for a moment, as she began to consider the idea. As much as she wanted to leave the cave, she knew she needed a bit more rest as well.

"Yeah... okay," the lioness agreed with the idea, pulling herself in closer to the lion with her forepaws. Eventually, she rested her head beside Mohatu's shoulder.

An incredibly wide smile formed across Mohatu's face, as the lioness fell down beside him. He wanted so badly to wrap his paws around Mari and bring her into a tight lionhug, but he could not gather the courage to do it.

Considering what she had said about any sort of potential romantic relationship, it would have been too weird. Besides, she had done enough for him already; Mohatu wasn't going to push his luck. Having his ear scratched was enough for one night.

"Sweet dreams, this time," the lioness mewed quietly, but directly into the lion's ear.

"Yeah," Mohatu closed his eyes. "You too."

As time passed, the two lions became much more relaxed. Without a doubt, the hours of the night proved to hold many heartwarming moments for both Mohatu and Mari. Despite the heavy chaos of reality, the events of the night faded into a simple, fond blur of comfort and companionship.

Only one thought remained in Mohatu's mind, repeating itself continuously throughout the night: _I'm her best friend_.

Although he originally expected the reality of the situation to bring him even more pain than what he had already experienced, that never happened. Knowing that Mari truly was his friend, Mohatu found more happiness than he ever could have imagined.

* * *

Mohatu never ceased to purr through the night, with each exhalation of his breath. The two lions continued to lay still, even after several more hours. Time passed quickly, and before Mohatu could even blink, the night was over.

He only knew it, because a faint glimmer of light began to illuminate the lion's surroundings, far off in the distance. Mohatu opened his eyes, immediately finding himself staring at the lioness beside him.

Of course, there was nothing unusual about that. It was a typical morning, for most intents and purposes—but something was different. Something was _very_ different about the lioness.

Mari was awake as well, leaning comfortably into the lion's mane. For the first time in what must have been much longer than a day, the eyes of the two felines had met. She had been watching him, peacefully, long before Mohatu became aware of the world around him.

Mari's eyes were only barely lit with the reflection of light, but the glassy, shiny orbs reflected a much greater sense of tranquility. Without words, the lioness only smiled, silently wishing the lion a good morning. She continued to stare into his eyes for several more seconds, enjoying the simple peace of the calmest morning she had ever experienced.

"You're... awake?" Mohatu asked slowly. As the lion's eyes opened further, he began to question whether or not everything he had experienced was a dream. Had she really said all that about him? Had he really cried in front of her? Was he really her best friend?

"Yep," Mari replied. "It's a good morning, isn't it?"

"It... is," Mohatu answered.

It must have happened, he thought. The entire situation seemed too real not to have happened.

The effects were too real, as well. Mari was much different from what he could remember; she was calmer, happier, and much more open. She no longer had anything left to hide, and that message was quite clear in her eyes. The talk had liberated her, spiritually, just as much as it had to him.

She was now free. They were both free. The nest of lies around their relationship had fallen apart, and only two lions remained. Two close friends, finally reunited after years of death and chaos all around them.

"Are you about ready?" the lioness asked slowly, stretching out her paws while she yawned.

"For what?" Mohatu asked jokingly. "That could have _multiple_ meanings right now," he laughed.

Mari allowed herself to chuckle a bit. "You know what I mean," she added, pushing herself off of the ground.

Finally, the lioness took her eyes off of Mohatu. Her dark orbs began to dart around, scanning her surroundings. "It looks like... the surface is up there," she stated, pointing her paw in the direction of the light source. "Maybe, once we work our way up, we can get some food, and we can continue from there."

"Okay," Mohatu nodded, rising to his paws as well. After speaking to Mari, he felt considerably lighter, and managed to walk around with ease. Once again, he was ready to continue the journey.

Of course, that was provided that he could even think about the journey, being as close to Mari as he was. Obviously, accomplishing such a feat was not going to be easy for the lion, not even in the slightest.

"It's good to see you're feeling better now," Mari breathed a delighted sigh of relief. "And, it's good to see in general, really. I'll follow you, I guess."

As the lion began walking back up the subterranean river, he tilted his head to the side and rubbed the top of his mane around Mari's neck. "Thanks... for that, last night," he whispered quietly. "You're the best."

It was his obligation to say that much, at the very least. Without a doubt, she truly was the best lioness ever.

"Welcome back, Leo," Mari repeated herself, smirking slightly as she returned the lion's nuzzle. "It'll be just like the old days..."

"You're going to have to stop calling me that, though," Mohatu insisted.

"It doesn't matter," Mari replied with a playful nudge of her paw into Mohatu's mane. "You'll always be Leo to me."

* * *

A/N: I think this is going to be the end of the flashbacks, finally. From here on out, I am planning on having the story progress in a much more linear fashion. For the most part, all of the pieces of the puzzle have been put into place. All the key events of Leo/Mohatu's early life have been explained, except what I have saved for the very end.

Since this was a rather long chapter, I'm thinking about holding off on next week's update. I might need a little bit more time to work on chapter 21, as well, because I've already rewritten it four times and I still don't like it. It's a big change from the past few chapters, and it certainly needs a lot of improvement so that the transition into the next phase of this story is more seamless.

As much as I hate to beg for reviews, I would like to ask for any sort of feedback, good or bad. I know I'm pretty far into the story as it is, and to be honest I'm probably not going to make any _major_ changes from my original idea. It's too late for that, now.

I am, however, struggling to come up with a summary that I actually like. This story is very long and contains quite a few intertwined plots, so summarizing it in only a few captivating sentences is rather difficult. If you've read this far into it, you know what the story is about. For that reason, if you have any suggestions or recommendations for that, I'd like to hear them. I've changed it so many times in my indecisiveness, it's probably starting to get annoying by now. xD

If you find any spelling or grammar issues, please let me know as well. I try to revise each chapter at least twice before I post it, but even still, I know that some errors have gone unnoticed, and thus uncorrected.

I know there's more than just a few people keeping up with this story based on the traffic stats, and, as such, I would like to hear your honest opinions. Even though the story is still very much unfinished and there's a lot left, I would like to know how I can improve my writing before it's all over.

And, to those of you who have already left reviews: thank you. :3


	21. New Horizons

A/N: I've completely rewritten this chapter six times, and I still don't like it that much. In fact, I hate it. I'm not entirely sure why, but this is probably my least favorite chapter so far (only because of the beginning, though). That's why it's as short as it is, relative to the past few chapters. :P

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 21: New Horizons**

A small, bright sliver of light began to seep through the rocky ceiling of the cave. Up ahead, the opening only grew bigger, spreading from a tiny crack to an entire field of bright light.

The excruciating white blur was accompanied by the continuous sound of moving water, as a small mass of liquid flowed slowly into a sinkhole—the mouth of the cavern. It was one of many openings, part of an intricate framework of underground streams and rivers beneath the surface of Lea Halalela.

Two large felines emerged from the depths of the cave, blinded by their first sight of direct sunlight in days. They both stopped immediately in their tracks, bringing their paws up to cover their eyes.

On the surface, it was bright. It was too bright, far beyond overwhelming and nearly excruciating. The entire landscape above was little more than one bright, whitish-yellowish blur, causing both felines to sit still for several minutes in blindness.

As his vision slowly began to recover, Mohatu stepped out of the underground stream and started climbing up the edge of the sinkhole. His paws easily gripped into the layers of dirt and clay, making the ascent much less difficult than it looked. Mari followed behind as well, grabbing tight with her claws to assure herself that she would not fall back down into the subterranean river below.

When the lion's paws finally reached ground level, Mohatu threw himself forward onto the grass. He stood still for a moment, resting on the surface, before lifting his head up.

"Whoa..." the lion gasped.

"What is it?" Mari asked from below.

Eventually, the former king managed to catch his breath. "Hah," Mohatu almost laughed with disbelief as his feeling of déjà vu returned once again. "You're not going to believe this..."

Almost entirely blinded by the light, Mari placed her paws around Mohatu's bloody hind leg and used it to pull herself up to ground level. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the sun's powerful rays on the horizon, her jaw slipped open for several seconds.

The land ahead was mostly flat, with only a few trees, rocks, and shrubs to please the eye. They were still in the desert, no doubt, but three enormous structures occupied the majority of the horizon.

The structures were giant pyramids, constructed to geometric perfection by the ancient kings. Just the sight of the massive, artificial mountains was breathtaking in itself, but both Mari and Mohatu knew there was much more to be found within.

So much more.

The ancient secrets of a long-gone civilization rested under those pyramids, protected from the relentless forces of nature for several thousands of years. The duo could only assume that libraries of ancient knowledge and artifacts of untold power were sitting beneath, waiting to be uncovered by their so-called prophet.

"So, I guess that's Lea Halalela," Mari whispered, unable to believe her eyes. "I never would have thought that something like this could even exist..."

"I wonder what it _actually_ is," Mohatu stated curiously, almost at the same time.

A few minutes passed, before Mari regained her ability to see and breathe normally. "Well, Rafiki told me the keys unlock the tomb of Regulus... which is here. I'm not sure if what we see is his tomb, though."

"But there's three of them."

"It looks like there are three _pyramids_," Mari stated, as a small flock of birds flew over from above. "But that doesn't mean there are three tombs. There could be, but they could all be connected."

"Hmm..." Mohatu pondered the situation for a minute. "So, I don't suppose we could just walk in?"

"That's what I was wondering," the lioness answered. "We could try..."

The golden lioness paused for a moment to gather her balance back on her paws, after she pulled herself up completely. "But something tells me we'll need all the keys to find what we're truly looking for. Nothing is _ever_ as easy as walking in."

"Yeah."

"For now, maybe we should split up... although I'd rather not say that, after what happened last time," Mari suggested.

"Hah," Mohatu chuckled. "Are you crazy?"

"Possibly," Mari admitted nonchalantly. "But I do think it's a good idea, considering how much we have to explore out here."

As the lioness's eyes continued to scout across the horizon, she found several smaller pyramids surrounding the three massive ones. "In fact, it looks like there's even more than three of them... I think we should look around, just to see what all we can find. You know there are probably even more monuments that we don't see, hiding behind these pyramids."

"There's a lot to explore behind us, too," Mohatu added in agreement. "That might not be a bad idea."

"Okay," Mari nodded. "I'll go this way... you go that way, and we'll meet back here in a little while."

"Actually," Mohatu tilted his head, suddenly beginning to reconsider the idea as his stomach growled. "Maybe we could get some food, first."

For a brief moment, Mari observed the male's lithe form carefully, noting his obvious scars and degenerating muscles. "Yeah... you're right. Maybe we'll be able to think better with a full stomach. It's been _days_..."

"That sounds good," Mohatu added, salivating at the mere thought.

Mari scanned across the horizon once again, noting the distinct patches of desert sand and lush vegetation behind them.

The three massive pyramids rested ominously in the desert background, with equally enormous shadows covering the dry ground below them. That half of the horizon was dry and rocky, covered with only a few scattered trees and shrubs.

Yet, part of the landscape was ripe and abundant with life, as a slow, winding river delta coated a share of the land with wet and fertile soil. The two completely different biomes kept a strange, delicate balance, contrasting directly as they met in competition across the landscape.

"There is this river here, that this stream is connected to," Mari explained, gesturing toward the fertile land behind her and Mohatu. "I'm sure hunting won't be too difficult. Wherever there's water, there's usually meat."

"Yep," Mohatu nodded, beginning to drool from the corner of his mouth.

"That might be a bit problematic, though..." the lioness continued. "If I remember correctly, Rafiki told me a pride lives out here, and they're loyal to the king. I don't think we've been very far, so it's probably the same pride we already fought."

Mohatu jolted suddenly, while he raised a brow. "Hmm?"

Mari continued to analyze her surroundings, trying to see if she could find any lions sitting in the open, by the water. "Well... it could be tricky, trying not to get caught _again_."

"Who would have thought?" Mari asked rhetorically, continuing where she had left off. "I mean... we're out in the middle of nowhere, and there's these pyramids... and water, and possibly even other lions. It's nothing like I expected," the golden lioness explained.

"I'm sure this place probably has some spiritual significance to the kingdom," Mohatu thought aloud. "That would explain why they're here."

"You're probably right," the lioness agreed. "That would make sense."

"In fact," Mari continued, pointing her paw across the horizon, over to the marshland surrounding one of the visible waterholes. She found several leonine figures, lounging around casually in the distance. Although they were rather far away, they still seemed close enough to pose a threat. "We're _definitely_ not alone."

Mohatu sighed, upon seeing the same group of lions. "This won't be easy."

"No..." Mari sighed. "It won't."

"Maybe we should wait here, until tonight," Mohatu suggested. "Then, it will be easier to sneak around."

"True," Mari replied. "But I'd rather not wait that long. As long as we're careful, we should be okay."

"I guess..."

"I'm not waiting until tonight," the lioness kicked her forepaw through the soil below her, watching as a cloud of dust filled the air. "We're hungry, and at this point, that's more important than anything else," she tried to convince herself.

"Okay," Mohatu replied. "So, what's the plan? You go look for food, and I'll see if I can find an entrance to the pyramids?"

"I'm not going to hunt _alone_," Mari insisted. "I'll do the hunting, but I'll need you as a spotter."

"So much for splitting up," Mohatu laughed.

Mari looked back over to the group of lions for a moment, watching hesitantly to make sure they weren't approaching. "There's no way we're splitting up out here," she stated. "It's too dangerous. I need you to watch my back."

"I..." Mohatu began to smile. "I have no problem with that."

Mari stood still for several seconds, as Mohatu's words began to seep into her mind. When she finally turned around, Mari carried a smirk across her muzzle.

"Psh!" the orange lioness rolled her eyes, dragging her paw closer to her companion for a moment. "Of course _you're_ going to say that," she retorted, placing her pawtoes up to the lion's nose playfully.

Mohatu crossed his eyes for a moment, pulling his muzzle back. In his sudden state of confusion, the lion could only wonder if Mari was annoyed by the comment, or if she actually enjoyed the attention. "What did you expect me to say?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," Mari answered, as she began to feel a burning emptiness develop in her gut. "I'm hungry, you're hungry... we need food, dammit! We're carnivores—we're not supposed to live like this!"

Mohatu shook his mane, regaining his balance as he shifted himself back into a more comfortable stance.

He continued to stare at the lioness, almost losing his mind in her frayed and rugged beauty, as she began to walk off. In fact, he could almost imagine her carrying big chunk of fresh zebra, dangling from her muzzle in all its savory glory...

That was the simple mind of a lion, no doubt.

"Are you coming?" Mari asked, pausing as she looked behind her. Apparently, she had already started walking off, leaving Mohatu behind with only her pawprints.

Mohatu shook his head, his mind returning to reality. "Yeah..."

* * *

Mohatu looked up to the wispy sky above, walking parallel to the river with the pyramids of Lea Halalela behind him and the lioness. Aside from the painfully dry heat, it was actually a rather nice afternoon. The water was equally calm and clear as the sky, and all the various trees on the horizon rested peacefully without motion.

"This looks like a good spot," Mari stopped, watching intently as a herd of African buffalo crossed through part of the river. The water was slow and shallow, but hills coated both sides of the narrow river valley, providing for an excellent ambush opportunity.

It was a small herd, actually, with no more than twenty or thirty in the group. Fortunately, that was irrelevant for the duo; only one was needed to make a meal.

"Okay," Mari fixed her eyes on the lion beside her. "Stay here, and be on the lookout for any other lions. I'm going to see if I can bring one of these guys down."

"And... what if I see one?" Mohatu asked.

"I don't know..." Mari replied. "Throw rocks at them?"

Mohatu scratched his chin with his paw. "How does that help?"

"I mean... try to distract them, without letting them know you're here," the lioness clarified. "If I go after one of these guys, the whole herd is going to go nuts. Then, if there are any other lions around, we're going to have to haul our tails outta here as quickly as possible."

"Okay," Mohatu nodded. He looked behind him, but did not see any other creatures, aside from the prey. "You're all clear, now."

"Good," Mari whispered, beginning to walk down into the river.

Mari hid most of her body under the murky surface of the water, so that only the tip of her muzzle was exposed. She could still see and breathe, but she could not be seen easily. It would be a stealth attack, for sure.

But even if she could not drown her prey quickly and silently, she would still have the advantage if the target tried to climb up out of the valley. It was a near-perfect plan, without any major flaw—except one little problem.

"Also..." Mari began, looking back up at the lion. "Let me know if there are any crocodiles around here. I'd rather not bump into one of those."

"You're fine," Mohatu replied. "I don't see anything."

Mari focused her mind back onto the herd ahead, concentrating on approaching as silently as possible. It was the only thought that mattered, as she closed the distance, slowly but surely.

After a few minutes of looking across the new horizon, Mohatu managed to comprehend the massive size of the pyramids. He had walked a great distance, but the structures still remained in the background. They were simply enormous, with the smallest of the three easily being as tall as Pride Rock itself.

Yet, as massive as the pyramids were, Mohatu almost did not even care. As usual, the brown lion's mind was fixed on something else entirely. Not surprisingly, he kept looking back at what Mari had said the night before.

Now that they had been separated by the uncompromisable force of hunger, all Mohatu wanted was to relive his old memories with Mari. In fact, the lioness's companionship was all that he had ever wanted, right from the very beginning.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring himself to remember his previous life. All he could do was try to recall what all she had told him. Mari had mentioned several memories of hers, of course, but those memories were hidden.

They were shattered and broken, buried far beneath the sands of Mohatu's own damaged mind. Uncovering those memories was going to be just as much of a challenge as getting underneath Lea Halalela in itself, he knew for sure.

The brown lion stepped closer to the water beside him, trying to think of something else.

Mohatu looked down into the glassy, reflective surface of the stream for a moment, waiting for his reflection to settle. He examined his appearance carefully, before wetting his paw and cleaning up his fur a bit. Although his mane was still a bit ragged and unkempt, that was hardly the worst of it.

For the first time, Mohatu saw the wound on his hind leg, along with many other less severe injuries. A big stain of dried blood covered most of his fur around the underside of his knees. The injury itself had already begun to heal, but it looked much worse than it actually was.

After all, he was Leo; he could take a beating and still live.

Mohatu turned his head around quickly, cleaning up the messy patch of fur with his tongue. The oddly familiar, metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, but he continued to clean the fur around his wound anyway.

He did not necessarily need to look clean and sharp, because being seen wasn't part of his plan. Yet, sitting casually by the water was oddly relaxing in a way, while the pleasant thought of food brought him a blissful moment of happiness.

Although it would be difficult to avoid contact with any other felines, he knew the situation was finally starting to look a bit brighter. Two of the king's minions were already dead, and all the secrets of the kingdom were about to fall into his paws. For the first time, the struggle almost appeared to be coming to an end.

Although, admittedly, maybe that was just because Mari was with him.

Mohatu took a break from grooming himself for a second, looking back across the riverbank for any other lions. Thankfully, both sides of the marshland were still clear from any living creatures.

To the lion's relief, he looked back at Mari. The lioness's head was barely hanging above the water's surface, waiting to strike one of the weaker animals.

The herds were moving rather slowly, walking as a cluster through the murky water. They all seemed to follow each other, in a strange, zigzag path. All Mari needed was one small enough to kill easily, and the duo would be satisfied for at least two or three days.

Yet, the kill would still attract buzzards, or even hyenas, provided that any of those were still alive.

Perhaps, Mohatu thought, that was why Mari was hunting at the river: if the kill fell into the water, it would not be spotted as easily. And, even if the carcass was found, no lion would expect the killer to be another lion, in such a crocodile infested territory.

Mari knew what she was doing, certainly.

Mohatu continued to watch the lioness, swimming slowly but intently right up beside one of the younger buffalo. It was a straggler, most likely already half-dead to begin with.

He watched impatiently, with great anticipation, as Mari lunged out of the water. She began wrapping her deadly forepaws around the target's head, and started to push it under the water's surface. Although the beast had horns for protection, Mari managed to use them to her own advantage, wrapping her paws around them to secure a tighter grip.

Before the creature could yell out a cry of pain, the entire head fell under the water with a cluster of bubbles rising to the surface. Eventually, Mari stepped onto its back, crushing it underneath her weight and forcing it below the water's glassy surface.

A hint of red seeped into the water, but faded away as the current continued to flow and dilute the concentration of blood. Within seconds, the buffalo appeared to be dead, for it no longer struggled to escape the lioness.

Unfortunately for Mari, one of the other nearby horned beasts rammed toward her, knocking her away from the kill.

"Mari!" Mohatu whispered instinctively, as the lioness tumbled backward into the water. A large splash engulfed the two figures, sending droplets of water flying in every which direction.

The lion looked down at the ground below him for a moment, wondering if she was actually hurt. If she was, then she probably needed his help to get to safety. If she wasn't, then she would be at risk of being discovered if Mohatu left his guard post.

With that thought in mind, Mohatu turned around, checking his surroundings once again for any sign of movement. Thankfully, no other lion seemed to be around. As such, Mohatu gathered himself onto his paws, preparing to help Mari out of the situation.

Fortunately, before Mohatu began to approach, Mari climbed out of the water on her own. In consequence, the brown lion allowed himself to breathe a delighted sigh of relief.

Now safe on dry land, the golden lioness shook herself off, with a delicious chunk of meat in her mouth. She swallowed it immediately, before wiping the water out of her eyes and looking around for Mohatu. Although she had grabbed a bite to eat, she was unable to carry the dead animal out of the water for Mohatu to munch on.

As the eyes of the two felines met, Mari shook her head sadly at her companion, before swiftly stepping into the heavy grasses on the riverbank. Within a matter of seconds, she disappeared completely into the tall field of green, shadowed by various clusters of palm trees.

Naturally, Mohatu considered following the lioness's path, but something...

Something was wrong.

Did she see another lion? Mari obviously ran into the grasses to hide, but she had no clear reason to do so. She was running, but running from _what_?

Mohatu's eyes darted around the horizon once again, quickly scanning the area for any other lions. The herd had already scattered and ran, but there was no other sign of movement anywhere else.

Meanwhile, Mari continued to sneak through the grasses. After a few moments, the lioness began to lift her head up slightly, looking back to watch the situation unfold behind her. "This is bad..." Mari muttered to herself.

Mohatu twitched his ears, trying to listen in for any sound of movement. His heart accelerated rapidly, and his skin nearly began to boil with anticipation. A creature was indeed approaching, right from across the river.

Immediately, the brown lion turned his head around, meeting another lioness eye-to-eye.

As Mohatu's eyes caught sight of the female, he quickly noticed that the lioness was a very light beige in color, very much unlike Mari's vivid coat of fur. The native's nose was dark, sharp, and pointed, outlining the harsh, yet elegant appearance of her face. From the ground up, she was very rugged, but much less so than Mari after her journey.

The native lioness walked slowly but intently, carrying a slight expression of curiosity as she examined the unfamiliar male lion.

From the look of it, the lioness had no idea who Mohatu was. Although she did not appear to be friendly by nature, she did not look as if she was about to strike Mohatu down, either.

Quickly, Mohatu began to devise a plan. He stiffened his posture up on his paws, trying to think of a way out of the situation. If he ran, he would attract even more attention, and Mari would be left alone. If he stayed, he would have to confront the native lioness, instead.

Mohatu would then have to explain what he was doing, and why he was there. The risk was obvious: if she thought he even looked a _bit_ suspicious, he would have to face another direct confrontation with Rex's followers. Clearly, that wasn't a very pleasant option.

Perhaps, Mohatu only needed to act casual. As long as he wasn't being blamed for the recent death of Ganji, he would probably be fine.

"There's nothing to see here," Mohatu convinced himself, leaning down to get a drink of water in an attempt to act as natural as possible. "Just go away, so I can eat..." he whispered.

As his eyes rolled back up across the horizon for a brief second, the lioness never ceased to approach. She continued to walk closer, leading up to an inevitable confrontation.

Mohatu stood up straight, trying to relax as he prepared himself to speak to the lioness. Without looking, he knew that Mari was hiding in the grasses, ready to strike if the situation got violent. "It's going to be fine," he told himself, under his breath.

Considering the circumstances, it was much better that the native lioness saw him, instead of Mari. Mari was a murderer—well known for being Leo's assassin. Mohatu, in contrast, was not nearly as famous. Every lion seemed to think Leo was dead, so there was only a small chance that any of the king's followers would recognize him for who he truly was.

Eventually, if the duo stayed at Lea Halalela for a few nights, they would have to confront the native pride, anyway. That was only a matter of time. If Mohatu could actually convince the lioness that he was a wandering rogue lion, it would be for the best, he decided.

Yet, he almost began to wonder if it even mattered. If he was once the king, could he instead use that to his advantage? If he could prove to the pride that he truly was Leo, would they follow his command once again? Where did the kingdom's loyalties truly lie?

Mohatu began to grin slightly, thinking of all the possibilities. That would be option zero, he decided quickly. First, he thought it best to play it safe and try the subtle approach.

* * *

A/N: Yeah... hopefully this should give you a good idea about where the story will be going from here. ;)


	22. Subtle Infiltration

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 22: Subtle Infiltration**

"Hey! You!" the raspy voice of a lioness suddenly called Mohatu from across the river. "I don't think I've seen you before..."

The brown lion gazed up immediately, still trying to think of an explanation for his presence. "You haven't. I'm Mohatu... I'm a rogue. I've been traveling."

To the lion's pleasant surprise, he even managed to amaze himself with the smoothness of his voice, considering the chaos that had erupted within his mind only seconds prior.

"Oh," the tawny lioness replied simply. She stepped closer, carrying her body with a swift, silky motion. "Well..." she began, extending her claws right in front of the lion, "you might want to think twice before drinking from this waterhole."

Mohatu stepped back, trying to calm himself even further, despite the lioness's attitude. "Yeah, well I won't be here for long. I'm only looking for the wisdom of the great kings... to guide me on the rest of my journey."

It was a lie, of course, but it sounded believable and that was all that mattered.

"Let me tell you something," the tawny female continued. "The kingdom rules this land... and as the followers of our king, we do as we please. You would be _wise_ to leave."

"I understand," Mohatu nodded passively.

The old king looked away, and proceeded to walk to the even calmer portion of the river, where he caught sight of several other lions approaching indifferently. Certainly, they weren't going to make this any easier for him.

While he did not necessarily want to speak to the rest of the native's pride, he did not want to appear to be avoiding all contact with other lions, either. He had to act natural if he was to prevent himself from looking suspicious, which meant being more confrontational than he wanted to be.

"I mean it," the lioness spat, clenching her teeth. "You better leave."

Mohatu exhaled heavily, completely ignoring the lioness's display of aggression. "Yeah, right," he whispered sarcastically to himself. To the former king, the lioness was not physically intimidating in the slightest. He was only looking to avoid a fight for much more practical reasons.

The former king focused his attention on the other lions, instead. There were three of them, all walking passively along the riverside. They seemed to be chatting about something, but as soon as Mohatu tried to listen in, the conversation stopped at once.

The three other lions paused, shifting their eyes over to Mohatu. A deep chill ran through his spine, as the forgotten king began to realize he had drawn attention to himself. They were all watching him from afar.

"I think I've just decided _I don't like you_," the lioness behind Mohatu spat.

Mohatu strafed over to the side, slightly, while turning his head around to meet the lioness again. As much as he did not want to start a fight, he was not going to be bossed around, either.

Leo scowled. "That's too bad."

One of the three spectators stepped over, closing in on the lioness's position. His shiny black mane and bright yellow fur began to illuminate in the sunlight, as he stepped out of the shade of a patch of trees and into the open grassland. "Hmmm..." he grinned. "It looks like another rogue lion is going to stand up to you, Zuria."

Mohatu remained silent, waiting for either of the two native lions to make their next move. He stood back, watching the situation unfold before him with a distinct, cat-like interest.

"Shut up," the tawny lioness demanded, scowling at the lion beside her. "I'm getting tired of all these rogues coming out here, thinking they're better than us!"

"He might be better than you," the other lion retorted. A smirk began to form across his muzzle, as he tilted his head to the side. "Heh! I bet he can take you!"

"No..." Mohatu replied. "I'm not actually looking for a fight."

"Yeah, yeah," the other male lion continued. "I know what you're looking for, rogue. But it isn't going to happen unless you get your paws dirty. This is Giza—if you want something, you have to work for it."

Could the lion _really_ have known what Mohatu was looking for? The question festered in the old king's mind for a moment, as he began to wonder how obvious his intentions truly were. Surely, any lion to venture out into the Badlands was looking for something, but was it _that_ obvious?

Zuria squinted her eyes at Mohatu, lowering her torso to the ground and throwing her tail up into the air, while her three nearby peers watched. "Let's go, Mohatu... unless you're _afraid_."

"Hey guys, come over here," the black-maned spectator called his other two buddies. "This guy is going to fight Zuria!"

"No, I'm not," Mohatu insisted. The more experienced lion was quite firm in his decision, keeping his head high above the lioness, and ignoring her two approaching comrades.

Yet, in the back of his mind, Mohatu began to consider his options. He could not think of a way to end the conflict peacefully, without running away.

That would have been stupid. He knew fleeing would only make him look suspicious, and he wasn't going to have that. The other male lion was right: if he was to get what he wanted, he had to work for it. He had to face his new opponent.

Perhaps, he could just show Zuria a little something—a taste of his true power. Not enough to hurt her, but just enough to gain the respect of her peers. That, Mohatu decided, was the preferable solution.

"Giza is no place for a pacifist," Zuria inched toward Mohatu cautiously. "You already had your chance to flee. Now, you will fight or die."

Mohatu stepped back, not yet drawing out his natural leonine weapons burred beneath his pawtoes. However, he showed no sign of submission, either.

"What should I do, Buraya?" Zuria glanced over at the other male lion for a second, without showing a single hint of fear. "Should I rip his limbs apart with my bare claws... or should I push him into the river and let him drown to death? Will a little bit of humiliation suffice, instead?"

A snarky chuckle escaped from the lion's nose. "I'll let you decide," Buraya replied casually.

"Why don't you think about who you're messing with?" Mohatu taunted. Quickly, he tried to think of a few lies, so that he could impress the obvious wannabes around him. "I... fought beside Leo in the battle of Kivumba, before the siege of Pride Rock."

"There was no battle of Kivumba," Buraya retorted.

"It was due west of the Pridelands, three days before the rise of the kingdom," Mohatu lied, stepping back and pulling out his claws. "Lake Kivumba was the final staging ground for the attack."

"Yeah?" Zuria asked, unimpressed. "What did you kill? Rodents?"

"Scrubs like you," Mohatu retorted. Although he didn't want to provoke the lioness, she had set herself up for that retort.

"I'm not a scrub!" Zuria hissed.

As the dull-furred lioness began to rush in to attack, Mohatu strafed aside and grabbed the lioness by the paw. The other three lions watched carefully, never taking their sights away from the duel.

Zuria attempted to break free, but could not manage to pull her paw back. Her other forepaw dangled helplessly in the air, trying to scratch Mohatu's face to no avail.

Mohatu glanced over at the spectators for a moment, showing a slight grin. "Watch this," he taunted. "It's one of Leo's old favorites."

Buraya, especially, seemed rather interested to see what Mohatu had to offer.

Shifting his attention back to Zuria, Mohatu bent the lioness's forepaw backwards, and stepped back to sling it across the grasses. Likewise, the lioness's body followed, crashing into the ground on a whim. The brown lion's opposite shoulder acted like a fulcrum; he had strategically placed himself to launch the lioness anywhere he desired.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Buraya called out.

Zuria shook her head for a moment, her jaw hanging open while she rested upside-down. Mohatu's prowess had caught her by surprise, no doubt about it. As she regained her breath, she found Buraya looking down at her, instead of Mohatu.

"Hah!" the male lion grinned down at his fallen peer, causing Zuria to blush. "Looks like you still need a bit of practice before you can call yourself a knight."

Mohatu stepped back even farther, eying all four of the lions in front of him. To the old king's surprise, proving his ability without starting a war was far easier than he originally thought it was going to be. "That was with my left paw..."

"You..." Buraya continued in amazement, this time speaking to Mohatu. "You have to teach me how to do that!"

Mohatu pondered the request for a moment. As he began to consider what it was that he did, the lion started to realize that explaining the process would not be easy.

Mohatu had forgotten most of his combat training. In fact, he was beginning to wonder how he was even able to fight at all, considering his lack of memories. The recollections of combat in his mind were gone entirely, but, oddly enough, that did not matter.

Mohatu still retained his muscle memory, even after being unconscious for a week. Flipping the lioness over onto her back was a natural reaction. He did not have to think about it—it just happened. He had trained himself to fight on instinct alone.

Regardless, he knew it wouldn't hurt to try. Befriending one of Zuria's peers didn't seem like half a bad idea.

"I... I guess I could show you again," Mohatu shrugged.

Before Mohatu began to demonstrate his skill a second time, the brown lion stepped forward, and placed one of his forepaws above Zuria, who continued to rest on the ground.

Hesitantly, the defeated lioness grabbed Mohatu's paw, and used it to lift herself back up. Her cheeks blushed slightly with a hint of embarrassment, although she now knew that none of her peers could have fared any better against the rogue.

The four lions all watched Mohatu carefully, as he slowly began to demonstrate the technique on an invisible, imaginary opponent.

"It's simple, really," Mohatu explained. "You see, all you have to do is step to the side, like this..."

"Hmm?" one of the unfamiliar lions mumbled, stepping closer to get a better look. "But how did you-"

Mohatu paused, shifting his weight back into a natural, more comfortable stance. "Let me see your paw," he asked.

"Okay," Buraya volunteered first, sticking his forepaw out so that Mohatu could bend it.

The former king grabbed his faux opponent's paw, holding it by the wrist. "You have to get the grip just right..." Mohatu continued, "like this." The lion demonstrated his grip slowly, making it very clear where he grabbed his opponent.

"Huh," Buraya raised his brows in disbelief, slightly confused by Mohatu's strange technique. "How does that help?"

"I used this grip to bend the paw back against the shoulder," Mohatu added. "My shoulder acts as a fulcrum. The paw locks in place, and the body goes wherever my paw goes. I could also use my claws to tighten the grip, and add a bit of pain as a distraction."

Mohatu demonstrated his technique slowly on the other lion, pushing the entire forepaw back the way it wasn't meant to go. In consequence, Buraya moved forward and down to the ground, to alleviate the pain.

"That's ridiculous," Zuria spat. "You can't just... do that!"

"Yes, I can," Mohatu smirked, releasing his grip on Buraya's forepaw. "Any lion can. It's just a combat technique. There are many more I could show you..."

"But... you..." Zuria tried to argue, still in disbelief that such a passive lion could be such a proficient warrior.

"Being a badass doesn't mean you go looking for trouble," Mohatu replied, lending a paw to help Buraya rise off the ground as well. "It means you can get yourself out of it."

Buraya dusted himself off with his paw, after regaining his balance. "What's your name?" he asked the rogue lion.

"Mohatu."

"I'm Buraya," he greeted the rogue formally. "I assume you're planning on sticking around here?" the young lion asked.

"Possibly," Mohatu answered. "It depends."

"You're pretty good," Buraya commented on the lion's skill. "You definitely know a thing or two about fighting... you should speak to Minerva. She's the leader of the academy here at Giza. We could use a lion around here, like you."

Mohatu grinned. Apparently, with a little bit of effort, he could even pretend to be one of them. It would allow him free access to any part of the lands that he desired, without any worry of being caught. It was a pleasant thought, with the only difficult part being convincing Mari of the brilliance of such an idea.

But he would worry about that later. For now, it was time to get back to business. Mohatu focused his attention back on the group of lions in front of him. It was all he could do, trying not to imagine them turning into giant pieces of meat with his grumbling stomach.

Zuria scowled, rolling her eyes with annoyance. "The least we need is another arrogant fool around here thinking he's better than the rest of us."

"The only fool around here is you, Zuria," the other lion retorted, before shifting his focus back onto Mohatu. "Don't worry about her, she's just upset because you put her in her place."

"I am not!" the lioness yelled with flattened ears and a twitchy tail.

"Calm down," Mohatu replied easily. Quickly, he tried to think of something wise to say while he held in his laughter. "You'll get better in time, with practice. Just have some patience."

"Pfft," the lioness rolled her eyes again, before walking away in frustration. As she left, her paws stomped through the grass, in an obvious display of agitation.

The remaining two unfamiliar lions walked off as well, leaving only Mohatu and Buraya at the bank of the waterhole. A slight breeze split the air between them, as the situation began to die down.

"So..." Mohatu continued, speaking to Buraya once again. "What's the academy? And what's Giza?"

"_This_ is Giza," Buraya answered. "It means darkness. That's what Leo and Rex called this land, when they first came out here."

"I see... but I thought this was Lea Halalela?"

"Lea Halalela is the ancient name for this place," the younger lion explained. "It's the holy land of the ancient kings. It's called that because of the pyramids... they're like burial grounds. Apparently, the land is infused with spirits or... I don't know."

"Interesting," Mohatu muttered. "And the academy?"

"We're all students of the academy," Buraya replied. "This is where all lions come to learn the ways of our ancestors, and hopefully become respected knights of the kingdom. Minerva is the lead instructor. She's also _the queen_."

"Hmm..." Mohatu cocked his brow. It would be a dangerous move, revealing his presence in front of the lion queen, but he knew the reward would be worth seeking.

If Mohatu could show Rex's followers his true worth, in time they would respect him. They would tell him everything they knew about the ancient kings, and he would be able to learn so much more, in a much shorter time frame.

"I'm interested," Mohatu finally responded. "Can you take me to Minerva?"

"She should be back from the afternoon hunt, soon," Buraya informed Mohatu. "You'll have to pass an entry test before you can become a student like us... but I'm sure you won't find it too difficult."

"That's okay," Mohatu stepped away, looking around to explore his surroundings a bit more. Without a doubt, he was beginning to like where the situation was going.

"If you want, I can show you around until she gets here..." Buraya offered. The lion stood up, beginning to examine his surroundings in greater detail.

"Sure," Mohatu accepted. To the lion's pleasant surprise, his new plan seemed to be working almost flawlessly. It was almost too good to be true.

Before Mohatu began following the native lion, he glanced over at the tree that Mari hid under. She had been watching, waiting, and hearing everything, no doubt.

As Mohatu's eyes met the tip of the lioness's head, standing out amidst the grasses, Mohatu gave her a suggestive wink of the eye. "Don't worry," he mouthed silently to his stealthy companion. "It'll be fine."

* * *

Buraya stopped walking and gazed out at the vast landscape ahead of him, scratching his chin with his forepaw. The three massive pyramids of Giza loomed in the foreground, with equally enormous shadows covering the ground below them.

"That back there is the Nial River delta," Buraya explained to Mohatu. "All the water we get comes from that river, and eventually goes out into the sea, all the way to the northeast. There's many different streams and waterholes back there... it's mostly just marshland."

"I see," Mohatu nodded casually. "So... what's with the pyramids? I was actually wondering about _that_."

Buraya glanced at the faux rogue lion for a moment before speaking. "The pyramids? So that's what you want to know about, huh?"

"Yes..."

"No one really knows _for sure_," Buraya replied. "It's a bit of a mystery, to be honest."

Mohatu cocked his head to the side. "Mhm?"

"Well... you see that big one there? The one in the center?" Buraya asked rhetorically. "That's the great pyramid. You're not going to believe how old that thing is..."

"Yeah, I can imagine it's pretty old," Mohatu agreed. "But what is it?"

"It's a tomb, basically. It has three chambers: an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an unfinished chamber deep into the ground. I don't know what they're for, actually... I don't think any lion knows. Some say the sarcophagi of the ancient kings were hidden in there, but I've heard stranger theories..."

Mohatu planted his rump down onto the ground, allowing himself to sit and rest for a moment, while his mind absorbed all the information. "So... how hard is it to walk inside?" Mohatu asked.

"I've been in there before," the other lion answered. "You have to climb up a bit to get to the entrance, but it's pretty easy to get in."

"But what about the other two?"

"The one on the left isn't built as well as the others. Some believe it's because that king died before his pyramid was finished completely. It's also possible that some lion tried to demolish the pyramid."

"But is there anything inside it?" Leo inquired.

"It's completely locked down... only Leo and Rex were ever able to get inside. Don't ask me how they were able to do it; I have no idea," Buraya shrugged lackadaisically. "I'm pretty sure Minerva can get in too, but you'd have to ask her about that."

"And the one on the right?" Mohatu asked.

"That one is used as the living quarters... the den, basically," the other lion answered. "There are several smaller rooms, plus many other chambers for gathering purposes and rituals. There are several entrances... and they're all open."

Mohatu nodded. "I see."

"Anything else you want to know about the pyramids?" Buraya asked. Although he knew he did not know as much as Mohatu wanted to hear, the lion's knowledge wasn't totally useless.

"I'm actually looking for a _very specific_ tomb," Mohatu admitted. "Does the tomb of Regulus sound familiar to you?"

Buraya squinted his eyes, scowling slightly. "You're looking for _that_? Hah! Good luck!"

"I know it's here," Mohatu insisted. "It has to be here, somewhere."

"Oh, it's here," the black-maned lion answered. "But you'll never get inside. The entrance is locked shut. It's completely sealed off... not even the king can get in there."

"I could have guessed," Mohatu replied. Of course he wouldn't be able to get in; that much was obvious. He didn't have the keys.

Regardless, he still wanted to find the tomb, just to acquire a greater understanding of it. More than likely, it would help him discover the truth, in relation to what happened to his former self. "But do you have any idea where it is?" Mohatu asked.

"Look to the right of the pyramids, out there," Buraya pointed his paw across the horizon. "That big shape out there is a lion made of stone... it's a monument. According to legend, the tomb of Regulus is inside and beneath the stone lion."

"A stone lion?" Mohatu asked, seeking clarification that he had heard Buraya's words correctly. He couldn't see much of it, as a foggy cloud of dust cast a layer of haze over his distant vision. It blurred the horizon and sky into one inseparable entity, blocking out most of the landscape's more intricate features.

"Yeah," the other lion added. "It's a giant sculpture of a lion... carved from the ground itself."

"Hmm..." Mohatu mumbled, thinking quietly to himself. It was odd to imagine, no doubt, but it did make sense. More than likely, the stone lion was a monument of the last lion king. Perhaps it was a symbol of Regulus's power... but perhaps it was something else—something even greater.

Although, to be fair, Mohatu had no idea what that greater purpose could have been.

Meanwhile, Buraya continued to ramble. "I know... I couldn't believe it either, the first time I saw it. The ancient kings were capable of things far greater than we ever will be. It's amazing when you look at it, but it's even more amazing when you think about it..."

Buraya looked down and licked his paw for a moment, before continuing. "There's also a few other temples and monuments, on the far side of the pyramids. Sometimes, if you dig around out there, you might be able to find some artifacts left behind from the builders."

"Is there anything else I should know about?" Mohatu asked.

"Not that I can think of," Buraya replied. "We're basically just waiting on Minerva to get back, now. She should be here any minute."

"Alright," Leo nodded. As the other lion began to pace around, Mohatu decided to ask yet another question to break the silence. "So... what do you guys usually do out here?"

"We're students," Buraya explained. "No lion really knows anything about this stuff... _that's_ why we're here. We're training to be the future leaders of the kingdom, like our ancestors before us."

"So..." Mohatu smirked, beginning to consider what that meant. "If I get accepted into the academy, that means I could be the next king?"

Mohatu did not want to be the next king, of course, but the idea brought him a great amount of amusement. It seemed almost too strange to be true: a former king, learning how to be a king. No lion could have predicted the ridiculous absurdity of it.

"Possibly," Buraya retorted. The lion looked down, kicking his paw through the grass angrily. "Hell, with the way things have been going, I wouldn't be surprised. There's been all sorts of leadership changes going on, recently."

"What do you mean?" Mohatu asked.

"Leo was assassinated about a month ago," the younger lion explained. "I'm sure you know about that... but since then, we've lost two knights in battle. First it was Usama and all his subordinates, and now it's Ganji and half the academy. Everyone is getting killed..."

"Ganji is dead now? What happened to him?" Mohatu inquired, pretending to be far more ignorant than he actually was. The entire situation was beginning to provide a bit of entertainment for the former king, in a strange, sadistic way.

Buraya seemed rather surprised by Mohatu's lack of knowledge. "You really haven't heard about that?" the younger lion asked. "You must have been under a rock all this time!"

To tell the truth, Leo _had_ been living underground for the past few days, after all. That was close enough. "No... I haven't," Mohatu scratched his mane, hiding his obvious lie. "I'm serious. I've been traveling."

Buraya breathed out a deep sigh. "Just the other day, two lions killed him out here. Several others died in the attack, in the valley to the south. The murderers managed to escape... and Leo's assassin was with them."

"That's awful," Mohatu replied. Although, truth be told, the old king was actually a bit better at feigning sympathy than he originally thought he would be.

"When Leo was king, the only knights to die were the ones _he killed_. But now, two knights have died in the past week. I don't know if it's just bad luck, or..."

"Who knows," Mohatu lied sarcastically. "Could be anything."

"Yeah..."


	23. The Great Evil

A/N: This one is another short chapter, but it's very important, nevertheless. Part of the reason why I'm breaking these up into smaller segments is because I'm trying to keep up with the one chapter per week schedule, but it's also because each of these scenes is adding even more complexity. Hopefully, I'm still keeping a good pace with these past few chapters, but if not, just let me know.

* * *

**A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu**

**Chapter 23: The Great Evil**

Mari lifted her head out of the grass completely, slowly retreating from her carefully-chosen hiding spot. She looked back at the murky stream behind her, noting that the herd of buffalo had scattered in its entirety.

Mohatu was gone; he had left to follow one of the native lions. After his quick fight with some lioness named Zuria, the group had dispersed completely, leaving only silence at the waterhole.

Every last corner of the landscape was now completely devoid of life. Even the scattered mangroves and palm trees by the water rested still. No clouds, no breeze, and not a single sign of movement could be found anywhere. It was odd, in a way—calm and peaceful, yet eerie and chilling.

Mari sighed heavily, stepping out into the open, where her fur lit up from the intense sunlight of afternoon. To the lioness's disappointment, all the food had left the area long before she was free to hunt again.

Yet, Mari's lack of food wasn't the only thing on her mind. She had managed to grab a single bite to eat, and that was enough to keep her satisfied for a few hours. However, more importantly, there was a far greater concern on her shoulders with Mohatu gone.

Although he was taking a great risk by following the native lions, it was no surprise to Mari what he had in mind. In fact, infiltrating the local pride wasn't entirely a bad idea, in itself.

Minerva's presence was the only problem.

There was little doubt in Mari's mind that Minerva knew what was going on, as the queen of the Pridelands. How much Minerva knew about Leo before he died was a mystery to Mari, but she could only wonder if the queen would be able to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. After all, it wasn't that hard to figure out. Every bit of evidence pointed to the truth.

Leo disappeared after fighting Mari's pride. His body was never found.

Afterward, Usama died by the paw of an unknown lion in the jungle, while attacking Mari's pride.

Then, Ganji was killed by Mari and an unknown lion in the valley near Lea Halalela.

That was more than enough evidence to suggest what was truly going on. It seemed so obvious—no rogue lion would have been able to kill two knights, nor would any rogue lion have found the motivation to fight the kingdom with such dedication. Was Rex really gullible enough to believe his brother had actually died?

Obviously, Rex had sent Ganji after Mohatu, but did the king expect Mohatu to be Leo? Was Minerva looking for Mohatu as well?

"This is a bad idea..." Mari finally muttered, walking back and forth across the grasses without any destination in particular. "This _isn't_ part of the plan... it never was!" Mari shook her head for a moment, kicking her paw through the dirt. "We need answers, but this is not the way to find them."

Yet, as the lioness continued to ponder the situation, she began to wonder why she was at Lea Halalela. There were pyramids—but they had to have been more than just tombs. Traveling all the way out to the middle of the desert to find a bunch of dead lions was pointless. There were dead lions everywhere; she didn't need to leave the Pridelands to find them.

But what was it that was so important about the tomb of Regulus? Something was hidden there, but what could it have been? Why was it so significant to the kingdom?

The golden lioness ceased her aimless pacing, eventually resting still in the drier half of the grasses. Slowly, she glanced up at the three pyramids again, still struggling to fathom the thought of their existence.

The sight, in itself, was mesmerizing. There had to have been some greater importance behind their construction—it would have taken many years, and many hundreds of thousands of lions to move the stones into place. There had to have been some meaning behind it all.

And likewise, Mari knew there had to have been a very good reason for coming to see it.

"Can this really be... real?" the lioness whispered to herself. She wasn't entirely sure who she was talking to, but voicing her thoughts seemed to bring her a bit of comfort from the intense feeling of loneliness around her.

"How can this happen?" Mari asked rhetorically. "How can a civilization capable of creating such things... how can it even exist?"

The lioness rubbed her paw through the dirt below her, pushing it over the roots of the grass. "They attack each other, they fight each other, and they kill each other... but they made _that_?" Mari looked down at her paws, still whispering her thoughts. "What sort of lion could...?"

The orange lioness raised her head again, allowing the sight of the three gigantic pyramids to burn itself into her vision. "I... I just don't get it. I thought I would find answers..."

"But all I have are more questions," Mari continued, this time much more stern with her voice. "Why would Algenubi tell Leo to come _here_? If it's just a burial ground... why? This doesn't make any sense!"

"The answers are right in front of you," the familiar voice of an ancient male lion sounded from behind.

Not expecting an answer to her rhetorical question, Mari jumped up into the air immediately, arching her back and spreading her fur out. As she landed, the lioness turned around, keeping her head and torso low to the ground, ready to pounce on her target.

The ghost's presence was unexpected, of course, but the ancient kings had a tendency to show up at the strangest of times. "Algenubi..." the golden lioness grunted bitterly.

"Oh, you're such a _brilliant_ lioness!" the old king muttered with an obvious tone of sarcasm.

"Enough fooling around," Mari insisted. "I'm tired of this. I just want to know... what is the meaning of it all?"

Algenubi began to snicker quietly, as he watched the lioness frustrate herself with her confusion. "Leo isn't here for the tomb of Regulus," he retorted. "Oh, no... not _yet_."

"What is it then?" Mari asked, stepping closer to the ghost.

Algenubi stepped back, his aura appearing to shrug its shoulders. "Look around you," he whispered. "Isn't it obvious?"

"The only thing that's _obvious_ is the fact that you've been teasing us ever since this all began!" Mari argued. "I don't know what you want from us, or what you're looking for... but I've had enough of it."

The ancient king only grinned deviously. "Okay, I'll humor you."

Algenubi's ghostly form began to illuminate, growing in depth and clarity as he prepared himself to speak. "Wouldn't it be awfully boring if there was only _one_ lion searching for the keys? How can one lion achieve greatness and become a prophet, if he has no enemies?"

"_What_?" Mari's jaw remained open for a moment.

"Without at least two, there is no struggle." Algenubi continued to smile sadistically, almost laughing at the lioness's ignorance. "Don't you understand? There can be no great king... not without a great opponent to face in battle."

Mari continued to remain still, completely baffled by the ancient king's philosophy. "So... you've been antagonizing us, so that we'll fight each other? You want Leo to kill me, and you want me to kill him... so you'll know which of us is the prophet?" The lioness began to scowl with disgust. "Is this some sort of sick joke?"

Mari shook her head violently. "And what does this even have to do with the pyramids?" she inquired vigorously.

"Oh, no," Algenubi interrupted. "I'd prefer it if he killed you, but _you're_ not part of this."

The concept is simple, really," the ghost continued, using his most condescending voice. "Leo isn't here for tomb of Regulus. Leo is here to reclaim his lost identity, so that Rex has a worthy opponent to challenge for the throne."

"What?" Mari asked again. Each word only went through one of her ears, and immediately out the other. Nothing the old king said made any sense to her at all.

"The keys _do_ have a purpose," Algenubi informed the lioness. "The purpose is to determine the _true_ prophet. Only those who are worthy of being the prophet can find the keys."

"Leo is worthy," Algenubi added. "That is why he is here. Soon... he will find his place in his kingdom, once again."

"So..." Mari began, her eyes widening as the realization dawned upon her. "The prophet is either Leo or Rex..."

"Damn!" the golden lioness suddenly exclaimed, as she realized she had just been fooled. "You told him to come here... so he would discover his identity, the prophecy, the tomb of Regulus, and... fight Rex over it all? You want them to find each other... so they can fight each other over the new kingdom?"

"What did you expect?" Algenubi asked bitterly. "Did you honestly think you would find some great catalyst of evil out here?" The ancient king began chuckling with sarcasm. "Oh, that's a good one..."

Mari looked back down at the ground below her paws, sighing once again. "No... I did find a great evil out here. I found _you_!"

"Evil?" Algenubi asked, almost smiling. "You're kidding? Oh dear, you can't _possibly_ be serious about that!"

Mari stepped toward the ghost, exposing her teeth and claws, while the fur on her back arched up into spikes once more. "Don't you see what you've done?" she asked furiously. "I was right! You're the one responsible for the death of my pride! You're the one who started this!"

"That's nature," Algenubi admitted simply. "The strong survive. The weak die."

"That's..." Mari began to argue, but lost her breath almost immediately. "That's not right! What you just said is the very _epitome_ of evil!"

"Oh really?" Algenubi argued. "By helping others, you only weaken them. You deny them of their right to struggle... you deny them of their opportunity to prevail."

"That's not true," Mari retorted.

"A great king must face a great opponent. Leo and Rex must face one another... like they should have done long ago, before _you_ interfered. The worthy one will become the true king, and the other will die. Only _then_ will the new king reign supreme. Greatness will be achieved, the kingdom will be reborn, and the new era will truly begin."

"That doesn't make _any_ sense!" Mari sighed in disbelief. "What sort of kingdom fights _itself_ to grow stronger?"

"That is the prophecy," Algenubi explained. "That is the way it is."

Mari lowered her eyes. "No, it isn't."

"Why not?" the leonine ghost asked rhetorically. "Look around. Do you really think we built those pyramids by _helping_ each other? What a joke!"

Mari continued to sit still, speechless, while waiting for Algenubi to continue.

"The strength of a kingdom relies on the strength of the king—his ability to reign supreme and maintain control of his kingdom. None of this could have been done without slavery. The weak serve the strong... it is only natural. In time, you and Leo will learn this truth."

"Slavery?" Mari asked in disbelief. "I swear," the lioness clenched her teeth, flattening her ears while her tail hugged the grass below. "That is _the most ridiculous_ statement I've ever heard in my life..."

"You will learn that it is true," Algenubi retorted. "Do you really expect every lion to be able to live like we did? It doesn't work that way, you imbecile. Life is only fair when the strongest lions are given power over the weakest. The weak do not deserve to live... and in time, the strong take their place. It is the job of the worthless to empower the worthy."

"I _will_ see you answer for this," Mari glared. "Mark my words: I will fight the kingdom to my last breath."

"Oh, no," Algenubi muttered carelessly. "You're pathetic. Your threats do not concern me. _You will see_."

Mari clenched her paws through the soil below, while the ghost began to dissolve into a vapor of translucent light. "That just... that makes no sense at all!" she yelled, her voice fading into the grassland. "The weak _empowering_ the worthy?"

As the empty silence filled her mind, Mari turned around, beginning to walk back to the waterhole with forceful and diligent steps of agitation. "What is he even thinking?" she asked bitterly. "How could any lion possibly think that slavery is a necessity?"

The golden lioness cringed at the mere thought, almost feeling slightly sick to her stomach. "Aw, hell..." she muttered. "Where's Leo?"

Unfortunately, Leo had already walked right into Algenubi's trap. If the ancient king's entire plan was for Leo to find the academy and be discovered by Rex, it was far too late for her to convince the lion to change his mind and go back.

As her mind filled with thoughts of despair, Mari nearly wanted to scream. "Leo..." she called, although her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "Don't do this again," Mari continued, only wishing he could hear her. "_Please_ don't do this again. You know this isn't right..."

As the sight of the river approached, Mari looked deep down into the water's surface. She stared for a moment, allowing her mind to be mesmerized by the soothing flow.

Mari closed her eyes, trying as hard as she could to keep her thoughts calm. "If Rex finds out you're here... we're _all_ going to die."

After nearly a minute had passed, Mari began to open her eyes once again, breathing slowly and heavily. The slow-moving current of the river pushed onward, and she began to notice that a large object created a wake on the surface.

It was the dead bison.

Mari sighed, dragging her paws back through the river to grab the carcass with her teeth. Clenching a soaked, exposed bone between her canines, Mari stepped backward, eventually bringing the kill onto dry land.

"The weak empower the worthy," Mari repeated to herself, as she looked down at the soggy meal below her. "It... it _can't_ be true."

The lioness bit off a piece of flesh, finally trying to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Yet, before she could swallow, a sick, nauseating feeling churned in her stomach.

For a single moment, Mari considered spitting the meat back out into the river. Instead, she gulped it down quickly, in an attempt to flush the taste from her mouth. Although she needed to eat, the immediate thought of disgust overcame her appetite. "He's right," she muttered sadly. "_They_ die, so _we_ can live..."

Feeling a crushing force of defeat overcome her muscles, Mari sat down on the ground beside her kill. She brought her head to rest above her paws, while the river grasses blew against her fur.

"One of them dies... so the other can live," the orange lioness continued, as she felt the sinister shadow of evil fall over her heart. "Abeni died, so Musashi's clan could live. Musashi died, so Leo and Rex could live. Our pride dies... so the _kingdom_ can live."

Mari tilted her head off to the side, watching the horizon shift to a vertical position. "Is this like... some sort of game?" she asked herself. "Is this some sort of competition for survival?"

Almost immediately, the orange lioness pushed herself off the ground. She did not want to stay in the open for too long, considering the circumstances. Before she walked back to the shade, Mari looked down at the dead animal once again.

"Pumzika kwa amani," Mari whispered sadly. It was the first time she had ever honored the death of _another_ animal, but it was also the first time she felt it to be necessary.

In an odd way, she almost felt a hint of sympathy for the bison. She needed to eat, which meant the buffalo needed to die. It was only natural, but at the same time, it was... heartbreaking.

"I guess... we're going to be next," the lioness added, her eyes still fixed on her kill. "I know how it feels, now."

Glancing back over to the stream, Mari found the cluster of trees and grasses where she originally hid from the local pride. For a brief moment, she almost considered walking back over to the shade, but she could not convince herself to do it.

Instead, the lioness turned her head to the clouds far off in the distance. "I don't understand..." Mari muttered. "If this is all a competition, then what are we competing for?"

Yet, as the lioness began to notice the pyramids in her peripheral vision, it all started to make sense. "They're competing for the keys," she thought aloud. "And the keys unlock the tomb of Regulus... which unlocks... I don't even know what."

Only now did she finally understand. All of her efforts so far had been in vein—Leo and Rex were inevitably going to fight each other over the keys, and the winner would inevitably claim the kingdom as theirs.

Unfortunately, finding the keys wasn't going to help Mari in the slightest. It was a devastating blow to the lioness, as everything she had feared suddenly fell upon her.

Although she originally sought answers, finding them had not helped. She had changed nothing. She only prolonged the inevitable.

Mari looked down at her paws once again, watching as flies started to gather around the carcass, occasionally buzzing into the lioness's ears. "I have to tell Leo about this. It can't work... it can't happen!"

Regardless of what untold powers remained hidden under that tomb, Mari quickly decided that it was not worth fighting over. Nothing was worth having to face the imminent death of her family.

Mari glanced around, searching the landscape for any sign of approaching felines. Although the area was still clear, she was beginning to wonder how long it would take for Leo to return.

"We need to get out of here," Mari sighed. She shook her head, before falling down to the ground once again. "We can..." the lioness continued, but her thoughts eventually trailed off.

Mari brought her paw up to cover her eyes as she stood still, hiding in the grasses. "No... we can't go anywhere." The Pridelands were under the control of king Rex. The jungle had been burnt down to the ground. The only other option was to go to the termite-infested Outlands.

The only other option was to go back home, with her pride.

Admittedly, with the key of Algenubi in Busar's paws, Mari's pride was little more than bait. Going home wasn't an option. If she returned to her family, she would only bring another wave of death along with her, in the wake of her path.

Yet, knowing that did not stop Mari from remembering her pride.

The golden lioness suddenly looked up to the distant clouds, trying to imagine returning to her family once again. "It didn't work," she explained, although not a single creature was actually around to listen. "I found the answer, but it isn't the answer we were looking for. We were deceived..."

"I only brought Leo here so he can reclaim his own kingdom," Mari added, suddenly finding it difficult to speak. "I just hope that baboon is right, after all..."

As the lioness's words drifted off into a painful silence, Mari continued to lay under the shadow of a palm tree, only barely moving with a slight breeze. The hours of the afternoon passed by slowly, while a nervous fluttering only grew in Mari's stomach. Helpless thoughts of pain and death filled her mind once again, only growing in intensity with every breath.

Since she first saw the pyramids, a cold feeling had begun to fester in the lioness's heart, and she was only beginning to wonder if the chill of death was about to arrive. Something about the pyramids, the sand, and the spirit of the ancient kings was wrong. The entire landscape contained such power, so much energy, yet it was cold and lifeless.

It was the same creepy feeling she had experienced in Algenubi's jungle tomb, and later in the tomb of Zosma with Rafiki. Yet, at Lea Halalela, it was far stronger. It was like staring deep into the heart of the kings of the past, while their spirits endlessly shrouded, engulfed, and controlled everything around them.

As crazy as it seemed, the feeling was beginning to affect Mari more than she was able to admit. The lioness quickly scanned her surroundings once again, preparing herself to run away if she needed to. The thought of danger seeped into her mind, and she was having trouble keeping herself calm, from the perceived threat.

It wasn't just Algenubi's words that began to affect the lioness. As a matter of fact, what the ancient king had said wasn't entirely _that_ surprising; she had indeed expected to encounter an evil entity at Lea Halalela. That ridiculous philosophy was, no doubt, the very heart of the kingdom's evil.

Mari sighed one last time, looking down at the kill below her. She watched in pain, as a crocodile began to climb ashore, waiting to grab a bite.

"Just take it," Mari muttered, leaving both the crocodile and the dead bison behind her. Beginning to walk away, the lioness shook her head again. "He died, so you could live..."

Mari's eyes darted across the desert, as she left the Nial river delta behind her. "Jeez... where did he go?" she asked herself, obviously referring to Leo. "We need to..." she continued, but the lioness's ears eventually fell before she could finish.

"I don't know what we need to do anymore," Mari muttered sadly. She began to wander around aimlessly, hoping to find Leo by himself. "I think we're going to need a lot more catnip," the orange lioness finally concluded.


End file.
